BURNOUT

Burnout, Framework Theatre company, Tron Theatre

BURNOUT exceeded my expectations for what I thought this verbatim piece would be.

There were a lot of things to love about this production. Ellen Bradbury’s professional playwriting debut was a bold move to dive into the verbatim form. Many people I know, as well as myself, have seen so many misses with the genre. I think the structure of the script worked well with interweaving interviews from 27 anonymous interviewees. The topics covered felt like a very in depth and diverse range of ages, views, backgrounds and experiences – which I really loved to see. The pieces of text that were assigned to each performer’s track in the performance felt fluid and, for the most part, well suited to each of the performers personally. It's clear a lot of heart went into the process of writing this piece.

The direction, by co-founder of Framework Theatre Company Emma Ruse, felt like it had lots of potential. The ideas that were presented on stage, I enjoyed, but I believe they slightly missed the mark in execution. The chairs that were used throughout, to represent overcrowding of the mind were all very concentrated to one section of the red floored stage. This left big gaps which could have been filled. The open wings could have been incorporated more into the piece; the chairs could have spilled out the sides of the playing area that was being used and truly plagued the entire stage if the wings were staying open like they did - giving a more all-encompassing feeling. If the direction took this concept to the extreme, I think it would have made the production as a whole really jump out and feel just as bold as the script.

I enjoyed a lot of what the performers had to offer, especially from Evie Mortimer, who gave a convincing depiction of what it may have been like to really watch one of the many interviewees say these words for the first time. There were glimpses of greatness in all of the performers work, but at times they came across like caricatures -  clashing with the very naturalistic nature of the words and minimalistic design. I think for some of them, this need to over act to tell the story will loosen off with time and experience, as they all had great potential!

The lighting by Tom Showell and design from Alfie Packham were, like the script, highlights of the production. The simple design with the backdrop and red floor felt like the performers lived inside the concept of ‘burnout’ and I really appreciated how they felt like alive thoughts inside the mind. The colour blocking of these pieces along with the yellow chairs and grey-scale wardrobe only added to this concept, making it clear the design was well thought out with a classy look. The wardrobe felt equally modern yet traditional giving the performers a timeless feel, emphasising that burnout is experienced by everyone. Showell’s lighting design only complimented the set, and really helped carry the piece forward and draw the eye to right to the action.

All in all, I had a pleasurable time watching this piece, there were definitely moments I could relate to and I came away having learned new things of other people’s lived experiences. The ticket prices scaled from £19 - £26 and this production was well worth seeing, but maybe more for the lower end of that scale.

At The Lang View we are so very grateful to Framework for inviting us along and we can’t wait to see what they do next!

* * * - 3 stars