A new immersive show, 1884 in Shoreditch Town Hall, by Rhianna Ilube and Coney has a very unusual format. It could be seen as a collaborative boardgame played in small groups of six-seven guests. Equally, it feels like a team-building activity, led by a set of weird rules. In reality, it is an experimental and experiential theatre piece, where the audience is the key moving force and the focus of the attention.
It starts as a peaceful and joyful community-building activity, with guests playing new residents in Wilhelm Street. After a brief introduction by the local MP, they are led by a radio DJ into coming up with their household features, traditions and customs. Encouraged slowly to interact with other households, using both local post and notice boards, the guests get to learn more about their community and the world around them. At the same time, somewhere nearby a meeting begins…
While you don’t know who runs it and what is discussed, the audience learns – through the radio news flashes and official notices delivered – that the meeting has written some new rules for the society to follow. One after another, the unique pieces of each household are taken away, with a more uniform lifestyle, traditions and customs imposed on the neighbourhood. Some may choose to comply, others may go through the protest route…
After a brief interval, guests are invited back into the room, reset completely, with only small mementoes from the first act present. The action moves forward in time, to the present, and examines the past from a different perspective.
A playful and fun, yet thought-provoking, the play heavily relies on the audience, led by a handful of actors. It is not your classic theatre with a stage, script and assigned roles but an experiment where you can choose to act any way you want.
Reflecting on the themes raised by the play, it focuses a lot on the power and importance of local traditions and cultures. The show is inspired by the legacy of the 1884 Berlin Conference – a turning point for African colonisation. However, many cultural and political issues raised in 1884 feel relevant here and now. While not preachy, it helps you easily see how it must have felt for the African communities back then.
Unusual yet relatable,1884 in Shoreditch Town Hall unites strangers over the course of the game-play. When leaving, many groups formed during the evening were taking selfies together, to remember the experience. If you are looking for something new to try, this is an easy yet profound way to spend your evening.
1884 runs at Shoreditch Town Hall until 27th April
