something odd is happening

last thursday we opened The Iranian Feast. A piece made especially for village halls that is part play part meal part thriller. thus far we have been to Uckfield and Lingfield and something odd is happening. Because we are cooking for the audience we have limited the numbers to a maximum of 80 – Uckfield usually attracts about 70. But we got to Uckfield and the promoter explained that the phone had been going all day and she was expecting ‘around 100’. And at the end of the performance – and this rarely happens in village halls – the audience stood to applaud. The same happened the next evening in Lingfield. A packed hall, keen to let us know how much they delighted in the event.

Now this is a new play, written by Kevin Dyer, with a Iranian and English company, touring to rural communities. Even we have been surprised, and not a little delighted, to witness the enthusiasm this audience has for content. I have often spoken about wanting to create events that feel like ‘a conversation between friends about matters of importance’. And, led by Kevin, we appear to have pulled that trick off.

Who knows how the rest of the run will work. What i do know is that if it is working in the South East, where community and connectedness are a rare commodity, we can look forward to a special national tour.