Until Proven Human invites its audience into a fictional ‘civic assembly’ following a series of troubling incidents. Through a sequence of questions, votes and collective decisions, citizens are asked to determine who among them might be a “monster”, gradually turning a seemingly simple civic exercise into an examination of conformity, authority and the consequences of individual choice.
Created by Xiaomin Fan and directed by Jingwen Lu, the show is a spirited and ambitious piece of interactive theatre. Staged in the basement of Barons Court Theatre, the production begins before the performance has formally started. As we walk down the stairs, we encounter newspaper cuttings, recordings, objects and fragments of information that establish the world we are entering. There is an immediate sense that this civic gathering is taking place on the outer layers of society, under conditions of urgency and uncertainty.
The production’s central proposition is compelling. We are invited to make choices, but those choices exist within a framework established by an authority. The questions initially appear harmless: are you left-handed or right-handed? Tea or coffee? They gradually move towards more difficult ethical territory, asking us to articulate positions on life, morality and responsibility. The mechanics are simple, accessible and easy to follow, which is particularly important in interactive theatre. The audience understands quickly what is expected of them and becomes increasingly confident about participating.
As the rounds progress, however, the consequences of these choices become increasingly significant. Audience members are identified as “monsters”, often without any real evidence beyond their responses. The production creates an effective contradiction at the heart of its participatory structure. We are encouraged to exercise our freedom while simultaneously discovering the limits of what the civic establishment considers acceptable. Conformity is rewarded, while pushing a choice further and articulating what one genuinely thinks can result in punishment.
The audience separation becomes one of the production’s most interesting dramaturgical devices. I deliberately had my group vote for me as a monster and eventually joined the other “monsters” behind the stage. We were then given information that the rest of the audience did not possess, while knowing that they, in turn, had access to information unavailable to us. We began strategising about what had gone wrong and what we could do next. This shift in perspective demonstrated the possibilities of the format particularly well. The question becomes not simply who the monsters are, but who has the authority to decide, and how information itself can be used to create divisions between people. Writer Edylan Liu creates an accessible framework for participation, though the characters’ individual roles and personal journeys could be developed further to give the narrative greater emotional depth alongside its political ideas.
The performances are central to maintaining this participatory world. Anthony de Jesus as the Agent is tasked with running the gathering, establishing its rules and maintaining order, making him critical to guiding the audience through the mechanics of the event. Hui Chen as the Monster, identified and caught at the beginning, becomes the figurehead of the rebellion, while Ruiying Bai as the Undercover individual works to rally the crowd against the system from within. Theodore Henshaw as Security maintains the secrecy and mystery of the invisible authority governing the gathering. There is a clear commitment to the characters, but the performances could benefit from allowing the dialogue and information to breathe more. In an interactive environment, the audience needs time to witness, process and respond to what is being revealed, rather than moving immediately from one piece of information to the next. Equally, the performers are working against the unpredictability of unscripted audience responses, and there is an opportunity to hold the characters more firmly within those moments, allowing their physicality, authority and relationships to remain alive even when the audience takes the interaction somewhere unexpected. Developing this capacity to sustain character under pressure would give the performances greater tension and make the immersive world feel even more immediate.
The design elements work together to create a coherent world. The set design by Qianyu Chen immediately immerses us in the production as we descend the stairs, making the theatre itself feel part of the civic environment. The props and projection design by Xiaomin Fan extends this immersion through the objects we receive, including our numbered badges, while the projections provide visual information and cues throughout the gathering. The lighting design by Yiling Liu is sparse and haunted, creating an atmosphere in which the gathering itself feels worthy of suspicion. The sound design by Anqi Deng effectively marks moments of tension and provides clear signals that guide the audience through the changing circumstances. Hanxin Zhang’s costume design helps establish the distinctions between the different institutional and rebellious roles while remaining integrated into the world of the production.
Where the production could develop further is in its narrative design. There is considerable material in the space, but the opening moves fairly quickly towards participation, giving us limited opportunity to absorb everything we encounter on arrival. More time to explore the environment and understand the circumstances surrounding the gathering could strengthen the narrative that emerges later. Similarly, the characters of Elliot and Ivee could carry more of the narrative information themselves, allowing us to understand who they are and what motivates them beyond the information provided by the Agent.
What is already compelling, however, is the production’s understanding that interaction itself can be dramaturgy. By the end of the evening, the room had genuinely come alive. Audience members were articulating their thoughts, negotiating with one another and testing the boundaries of the rules they had been given.
Until Proven Human has considerable potential. Its participatory framework is clear, its design establishes a distinctive world, and its central question has genuine theatrical possibilities. With further development of the narrative pathways, characterisation and the distribution of information between different audience groups, the production could deepen its exploration of choice, authority and othering. It is an engaging and thoughtful piece of interactive theatre, with a clear theatrical identity and plenty of room to grow.
Until Proven Human runs at the Barons Court Theatre from 8th to 12th September. Read more and book your tickets at baronscourttheatre.com
Reviewer: Gaurav Singh Nijjer
Reviewed: 10th September 2026
North West End UK Rating: