AsCend Physical Theatre, ‘100’, Regent Centre, Christchurch
11:29am Saturday 5th October 2013 in Reviews
ONE hundred moments to decide which memory you will live for eternity; author Christopher Heimann’s ‘100’ is certainly thought provoking stuff. It’s also a script well translated onto stage by ‘AsCend Physical Theatre’.
Focusing on the body as the main storytelling channel by keeping props and costume to a minimum, this has been a production thoughtfully crafted by directors Jacqueline Avery and Peter John Cooper.
The result is the stuff a good drama tutor’s dreams are made of. With enough abstractness to keep it interesting and enough drama to make it compelling, alongside inventive scene creation, reflective lighting and use of multi-media, this quirky, charming production is a must for anyone studying the arts.
Ellis J Wells’ interpretations are particularly engaging. A unique, honest stage presence lends this actor a certain added depth, believability and freshness of portrayal.
It was also a pleasure to see two Arts University Bournemouth graduates in action, with Maya Aitken and Mainga Mayeya breathing life into their characters with versatile dexterity.
The show runs again at the Mowlem Theatre in Swanage on October 19 and at the Layard Theatre in Wimborne on November 13, catch it if you can, especially those studying drama.
Dorset Echo 100 Dorchester Arts Centre 14 09 13 MARION COXWHEN we die, do we take with us to eternity our entire life’s experiences or just the essence of our personality?
That is the basis of the plot in this short prize-winning play in which four recently dead characters have 100 minutes to choose just one memory each to take with them to the afterlife.
With a minimalist set and only bamboo poles as props, the enjoyable production relies heavily on the actors’ skills to bring to life a thought-provoking concept that is the framework for many of the world’s religions.
With an enigmatic guide to help them to decide which memory to select, a young couple, a successful businesswoman and a rural Third World father talk through their lives as they choose their own magic moment which will take them to paradise.
The newly formed and community based AsCend Physical Theatre, an offshoot of AsOne, presents an intelligent and spirited rendering of a play that asks more questions than it answers as each player wrestles with the past.
Local graduates Maya Aitken and Mainga Mayeya make the most of their somewhat slim characters, Ellis J Wells is a likeable but undecided airhead, while director Jacqueline Avery is the enigmatic guide with artistic director Jane Mckell as the tormented business boss, all five players taking numerous other roles and creating imaginative moving images in the process.
The one hour drama is followed by a stimulating and informative discussion between the cast and the audience as the actors talk about their characters and enlarge upon this small play with a big subject.
The production tour includes Bryanston School at Blandford on 27th September and Weymouth Pavilion on 21st November.