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This play is obviously and unapologetically meta from the moment one enters the theatre. There is an authenticity to this production, as if a science experiment is being played out on stage.
Dublin’s Fringe Fest is a space for artists to perform productions that may not be easily categorised. OneDay, a new piece by Dick Walsh and James Moran, is one such play, foregoing a linear plot to experiment with the medium of written journalism.
Put simply, the play explores and retells news stories which occurred on a specific date six years ago: 13 March 2012. Chatty vignettes mimic the structure of a newspaper. Although there are three men on stage, only one is an actor. Dick Walsh is the constant of this experiment as mediator and narrator, while Shane Connolly acts, and Brian Walsh performs the diegetic, drum-based soundscape. Beginning with an appraisal of the Occupy Galway movement, Connolly, the sole actor, moves seamlessly between different characters and stories in monologues and conversation with Walsh.
OneDay is a supremely interesting and memorable piece. The play is obviously and unapologetically meta from the moment one enters the theatre. The three men are already on the stage, chatting to the audience – I was initially unsure as to whether they were part of the production or simply friendly punters. Biscuits and tea are available, newspapers are handed out as props. It all seems like just some Fringe friendliness, but we later learn the aim is to recreate the environment of the Occupy movement. Once the play officially begins, repetition of lines emphasises the importance of retelling stories; of how it takes more than twenty-four hours to understand a day’s news.
The one-act piece flits between entertaining and alarming. Unlike the news, which one can turn off or stop reading if too disturbing, it is not possible to escape the physicality of theatre. Connolly’s acting is extremely visceral; the audience was visibly unsure whether to look away at certain intense, intimate, sweaty moments. Yet audience participation is all part of the production : the audience asks questions, and at times Connolly clambers over seated members, or rubs up against them. The chosen news stories cover a remarkable spectrum – a particularly emotive segment retells the massacre of two Afghan villages by an American soldier, with Connolly repeating volatile actions to Walsh’s straight-faced narration. More light-hearted news reenacted includes a celebratory Robin Van Persie chant, with flashing disco lights and a White Stripes soundscape on drums.
A fascinating aspect of the performance was the apparent honesty between the creators and the audience about the creative process involved in OneDay, which has been in development for three years and undergone sundry cuts and changes. There is an authenticity to this production, as if a science experiment being played out on stage. Walsh is extremely open with how each scene came about. He removes any trace of a fourth wall and speaks to the audience matter-of-factly, dissecting his own struggles while corroborating real news. He favours talking through actions instead of acting them out. He discusses the thousands of articles read in research. When questions come from the audience, the team are knowledgeable and exact. Yet they are not lacking in theatrical originality and innovation. The lights are kept on for the majority of the production, adding to the scrutiny of the news and consumption of it. A smoke machine is used to harmlessly depict carbon monoxide poisoning. A barren set comprises of a plant, set of drums, taped square and some chairs. We are entertained as well as informed, like reading a newspaper aims to do.
OneDay is an achievement in formalist dissection. It raises questions about how we consume the news, how language breaks down, and how current affairs can be treated as entertainment by those who disseminate it. Like all experimental theatre, this narrative is not for everyone – but for my first Fringe show of 2018, I left feeling energised and alert to global happenings. Co-produced by Pan Pan Theatre, and staged in Project Arts Centre, OneDay is commendable example of daring and unexpected theatre.
OneDay runs at Project Arts Centre from 10-15 September as part of Dublin Fringe Festival.
