2016

Sense

Written by Serafina Cusack , Benedikt Paffgen

Play Details

Context

Artistic Director
Vicky Featherstone

Part of
Open Court

Dates Performed

Thursday 21st July 2016
Jerwood Theatre Upstairs

Form

4-7 cast Audience a part of the action Beyond-linear narrative Ensemble piece Episodic Original full length in English

Play Details

Synopsis

A promenade performance takes the audience on a surreal journey through the Royal Court Theatre

The Grand Usher welcomes the audience to a show that quickly derails, sending them on a bizarre adventure through various spaces in the theatre. They encounter a cast of eccentric characters, including The Man in underwear who has lost his identity, The Polite Man who compulsively shakes hands, and two bumbling Police Officers trying to solve a crime. As the audience is split into groups and shuffled between locations, they become unwitting participants in a mystery involving stolen identities, birthday cake, and conflicting memories.

Cusack and Päffgen’s immersive play is a whimsical exploration of identity, perception, and the unreliability of memory. The fragmented narrative and interactive elements create a dreamlike atmosphere, challenging the audience’s sense of reality. Dark humour and absurdist touches permeate the piece, with characters breaking the fourth wall and contradicting each other’s stories. The play’s structure mimics the disorientation of its characters, inviting the audience to piece together clues and question their own experiences.