A Salford-based theatre company is presenting a very unique take on the classic tale of Ovid’s Pyramus and Thisbe, with the two titular characters performing live on stage from two different locations.
The multi-award winning Proud and Loud Arts are experimenting with the power of the latest digital projection technology at the Contact theatre to deliver a truly unique reading of the age-old tale of forbidden lovers.
The production company is composed of actors living with disabilities and, according to the company’s artistic director Tom Hogan, the story of love being impeded by something uncontrollable resonated with the cast.
Hogan said: “We spent time in the rehearsal room improvising around the themes of desire and how physical desire is not something that society is very comfortable with particularly in the context of disability.
“With Pyramus and Thisbe, you had a physical barrier, a wall with a small crack in it, where lovers could whisper sweet nothings to each other in secret.
“The wall in our story is technology, while our lovers can communicate and spend hours online they cannot touch.”
While Pyramus and Thisbe is a tale in its own right, it is most renowned for appearing as a “play within a play” in William Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream, where the character Bottom and his merry band of actors put on a memorable performance for the Athenian court.
In Proud and Loud Art’s rendition, the story will centre on Ryan Pyramus and Sophia Thisbe as they attempt to have a meaningful intimate relationship through the medium of the Internet as any physical attempts to meet are blocked by their feuding parents.
The use of live digital presence stems from the problems the company’s actors faced during their last production, “Beyond the 4th Wall”, where integral members of the cast were unable to make the shows.
Hogan said: “We toured locally with our production and from that we realised that some members would not be able to travel and perform beyond the distances of an hour’s drive.
“I began to discuss the possibilities of digital touring with some colleagues at Contact and at the RSC, but it was Contact that had the experience and expertise of live digital performance collaborations and specifically tele-presence.”
By utilising the expertise of the venue’s technologist Jason Crouch, Proud and Loud will be able to project one of the actors onto the stage, an interesting dynamic which will challenge the actors to convey the intricacies of an intimate relationship to the audience when only one actor is physically present.
Pyramus and Thisbe also signals another collaboration with Oldham writer Cathy Crabb, who had written plays for the company before, and Hogan believes she is one of the most talented writers based in the North West.
Hogan said: “She is an intuitive collaborative writer with an insight and compassion for performers, offering a level of collaboration that facilitates and respects all ideas in the room.”
Pyramus and Thisbe will be shown at Contact in November on Thursday 26th at 7.30pm and Friday 27th at 2.30pm and 7.30pm.
For tickets and general information on the production click here.
