Puppets, horns, boxes and enough make-it-yourself materials to send a Blue Peter presenter into meltdown – discover the anarchic playground that is the rehearsal room for new interactive theatre piece Drawing the Line, then book your tickets for the show!
Running from 9 to 25 May 2019 as part of the Albany Theatre’s REBELS season, Hidden Track Theatre’s Drawing the Line is an experience that combines storytelling, gaming and group decision-making. For every performance, ‘the line’ divides the audience into two rival nations. Each side then determines how their nation grows. Strongly influenced by current political developments, the show will inspire the creation, destruction and rebuilding of unique communities every night.
Audiences have a number of choices about their involvement in the action. They can simply sit back and watch as the story unfolds, or take much more active part by waving flags, building cities, singing the national anthem and even defending their nation on the battlefield.
Drawing the Line follows the success of Hidden Track Theatre’s multi-award-winning game about class, Standard: Elite, which won the company the Best Newcomer Award at the Brighton Fringe in 2018, and the Best New Writing Award at the Greater Manchester Fringe. That production was described as “The perfect vehicle to spark conversation” by Spy in the Stalls and “Social commentary at its finest” by The Badger.
Drawing the Line was first staged in London as a scratch production at Camden People’s Theatre. At those scratch nights, when audience get to experience a work-in-progress production, feedback described the show as “audacious, unique, super fun,” and “funny and eye-opening”, while other audience members also commented that “The audience participation genuinely didn’t feel daunting at all.” The action is led by a cast of Nisa Cole, Elliot Hughes and Steph Reynolds.
The Albany’s REBELS season is a season about politics, protest, breaking the mould and celebrating difference, in which the south London venue aims to support ambitious companies and individuals trying to shake the status quo. Running from 11 April to 1 June at three venues – The Albany, Deptford Lounge and Canada Water Theatre – it features events ranging from a clubbing experience and boundary pushing cabaret to crafting and protest drumming. Drawing the Line was commissioned specifically for this season.