this is why I like dystopias as an 'artform' UJ..they generate thought about the here and now. I have been trying to find the Lustgarten interview where he says the play is not a dystopia..does anyone know the one i mean?

Lol! you are funny UJ! Laura, I am sure that will be a moment you will never forget?! #Molonyeffect

These are all fantastic accounts!  I couldn't possibly add anything to what Su and Becca have said about last Sat...... 

Sorry you weren't well UJ, but it sounds like the Q & A session was really interesting....I'd love to have been able to go.

Thanks for sharing such a detailed account of your experience, Matty.

Laura - I'm so jealous that you were able to talk to Lord Toby and the others......

 

I don't know if its what you're thinking of, domino, but Anders Lustgarten did say the play is not a dystopian future - ie. it's all happening, or being planned, today - in this interview:

http://www.theatrevoice.com/9564/playwright-anders-lustgarten-challenges-the-ideology-of-austerity/#.UTxTS1eHNhw

He also says that he didn't necessarily want people to agree with him, but wanted to spark debate and discussion, which unfortunately it didn't really do for me. 

 

So here are my thoughts on 'If you don't let us dream, we won't let you sleep'.  Sorry it's taken so long - I scribbled some notes at the start of the week, but since then I've had other things on my mind.....

The first half is a series of short, sharp scenes presenting the city's manipulation of money markets and the effect this has on the lives of real people.  Most of the characters were a bit stereotypical - presumably intended to be represtentative rather than individuals - and, in the first half, they were fairly 2 dimentional, with the exception of 4 characters who's stories are followed through to the end of the play; the stories are powerful and touching and the 3 characters which Damien played are all quite different.

Unfortunately half of the stage was blocked by a man with a big head, but Damien's 1st character - the workman - kindly stood on a chair so I could see him! He represented a man who, in order to support his family, was in a job (fitting tax debt meters) which he wasn't happy doing, - made more poignant later when you find out that a meter fitter has abandoned his daughter after losing his job. 

I'm not surprised that Damien's favourite character was Jason (well done Matty for asking!) Jason was angry! Although his anger may have been justified, it translated into hatred and Damien ranted brilliantly, and convincingly! But Jason did come across as someone who's bitterness and venom was the result of his own feelings of alienation and lack of purpose. I have to agree with Becca that the accent roamed a bit, but I wouldn't have noticed if I hadn't been thinking of it because it was such an intense performance.

I loved the production!  The bare, black stage with the performance area marked out with scaffolding, and the short scenes interspersed with noisey, frenetic scene (or prop) changes gave the first half a fast pace and an anarchic atmostphere.

Theres was more of a set for part 2 - partly created by the actors as they readied the room for 'the court of public opinion'. As this is one long scene, the charactes in this half feel more developed and the atmosphere is generally less confrontational and more optimistic. I loved Ray! He is almost diametrically opposed to Jason as his frustrations are directed against the system, and his energies directed towards trying to effect change. And Damien made him very endearing!

I enjoyed the character development and their relationships to each other in this half and there were both funny and touching moments. Engaging as they were, though, I didn't feel any confidence in these characters ability to change anything - an anti-capitalist protester buying starbucks coffee may be good for a laugh, but is also rather depressing - and so their alternatives felt unconvincing and ultimately futile. (As someone old enough to have felt the effects of the referenced 1994 criminal justice bill, maybe I'm just a disillusioned, jaded old cynic!) Although I do agree that current policy ensures the future of a few and disregards the happiness of the people, it felt to me as though, in an attempt at optimism, the political arguement was sidelined by the message that if people would just be nicer to each other the world would be a better place.  I don't think that's quite what the playwright was aiming for!

 

Favourite line: "Anyone can chuck a Molotov.  Only a Genuine revolutionary can make it through a affinity group"

 

Loved reading all of your experiences with the play and with Damien. Thank you so much for sharing!

I'm hoping that the phone of Damien's agent is ringing off the hook! He deserves so much more!

Wow fifi.... what a wonderfully thoughtful and intelligent review, thank you for posting and sharing with us all, was an honour to read and gain some special insights into the play and Damiens' characters and performances.

A man with a big head was obscuring your view?! did you tell him to slouch the f*** down in his chair so you could actually see?!!

OMG!!!You all are so lucky!!! Thanx for sharing stories, nice photo Matty!!!: D xxx