We all spend a lot of time searching online. Whether it’s wondering what the weather’s doing this weekend, looking for the meaning of life, or for a decent butternut squash soup recipe, digital search bars have become gateways to an unfathomable number of quests. Some are life-changing; others not so much.
But when I heard that award-winning poet and playwright Inua Ellams was bringing a one-man-and-his-electronic-tablet event to Tobacco Factory Theatres, with the entire concept being that audiences shout out random words for him to search the digital archives of almost everything he’s ever written, even if it’s not finished… my curiosity piqued.
The phrase ‘audience participation’ usually sends my stomach spinning. I prefer to sit a good few rows back if possible, comfortably blending into the crowd to remain firmly in the spectator category, rather than become part of the action.
But Ellams’ Search Party felt different from the get-go. His gentle ease from the first moment meant the next 50 minutes became the warm blanket of a conversation between new friends that are sure they’ve met before in another lifetime, rather than a poetry reading balancing on anarchic architecture. Rather than sinking down in my seat, I was instead desperately searching for my own word to contribute.
Our audience’s suggestions included ‘cat’, ‘whiskey’, and ‘mother’ (there’s no pressure for words be complex) saw us dive into Ellams’ oceanic archives and listen to him read a Financial Times article commission, recite his re-writing of a Simon Armitage poem – which, by the way, Armitage himself said was better than the original – and share many other deeply personal poems. Everything Ellams read to us was book-ended with contextual thoughts and memories, helping to create cohesion out of chaos.
There’s also the chance to ask Ellams’ questions in a brief break between readings. I was curious about the homely props he was surrounded by in a very natural-looking living room scene – a completely different set-up from the picture above, I should add – were they prompts for words to suggest? Did the framed quote leaning against the sofa by the puzzles on the rugged floor mean something special? Was everything symbolic of something he’d written? Absolutely not. They were just objects scavenged from the theatre’s lost property box, arranged to look aesthetically pleasing by Ellams and the venue’s team. Whether by accident or design, it neatly mirrored the event’s concept of producing something beautiful from a random assortment of ‘things’.
Search Party smiles knowingly at the world’s chaos, and chooses to harness that energy and consciously co-create with its community instead. You could take part every night of its run (11-14 September) and have four completely different experiences. No two events will ever be the same. And I’d join the party again, again and again just to see where in his mind the next ride ends up.
