BWW Reviews: BEHAVIOUR FESTIVAL, The Arches, April 23 2013

Behaviour is the Arches' annual live theatre festival that promises to provide a snapshot of the most exciting International Artists alongside their Scottish counterparts.

Poke

The first performance of the evening was Amanda Monfrooe's "Poke". With a blurb promising to "parallel the escalating sexual violence and environmental destruction that has marked the first decade of the 21st century" you would be forgiven for thinking the next 75 minutes wouldn't exactly be light hearted. However, the production does provide a few comic moments. It is nothing if not thought provoking and although it focuses on a bleak worst case scenario the concept is incredibly relevant.

Poke explores the role of gender for women and questions what kind of attitude the female protagonists should embody on their daughter. Whether she should fear men and avoid attention, or be liberated and live life to the fullest.

Poke is an intense piece of theatre. Both of these performances were winners of the 2013 Platform 18 award which aims to showcase the most ground breaking and risk taking theatre workers in Scotland and it is easy to see why.

Wuthering Heights (an all-male performance)

Mirrored with Poke was a different take on gender roles. Peter McMaster's Wuthering Heights is performed by an all-male cast. Well acted and genuinely touching, it made for an exciting hour of theatre.

Based on the Emily Bronte classic, it is hard to fully explore the original story in such a short performance time. The main focus of this production is Heathcliff's disappearance from the moors and then his return. Combined with this are personal experiences of what it is like to be a man living in the world today.

Although it was mostly a serious piece of theatre, the highlight of the show has to be a particularly well choreographed dance routine to Kate Bush's Wuthering Heights.

Both Poke and Wuthering Heights run at The Arches from 23rd - 27th of April and then embark on a three night run at the Traverse in Edinburgh from 1st - 3rd of May.

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