FRAGMENTS Comes to The Playground Theatre in April

Using papyrus, shadow puppetry and offstage action to shed light on the way we fill in the gaps in how we see the world, Fragments searches for an ancient lost play, of which only fragments survive. Potential Difference have collaborated with papyrologists and neuroscientists to draw parallels between how we understand the ancient past from fragments of papyrus, and our own past from fragments of memory. Just half a scene and a handful of broken lines are all that survive of a revenge tragedy by Euripides. By diving into the blank spaces, Fragments creates an irreverent take on a lost myth, and highlights the fractured nature of memory.

Fragments is inspired by the vast collections of ancient papyri held in museums around the world. The show follows three present-day 'papyrologists' attempting to decipher and paste together the story of Aeyptus from tattered fragments of papyrus. Aeyptus is determined to avenge his father's and bothers' murders, but how can he succeed when almost all of the script is missing? Inspired by the hints of story these scraps suggest, they are compelled into the drama as their office swirls with song, puppetry and mayhem. As the gaps in the lost myth are filled with the scholars' perceptions and assumptions, the play considers how we construct our own memories, stories and worldviews, while also suggesting that gaps in a story are necessary to make space for us to innovate and to create new stories.

Director and co-writer Russell Bender said: "The idea behind Fragments came out of a workshop with academics and theatre makers exploring how fragments of lost plays could be performed. When we first began thinking about putting these fragments on stage, we knew we weren't interested in just trying to reconstruct an ancient play. Developing the show has been a big but incredibly fun dramatic challenge of what to do when the text stops, and all we're left with is a gap."

Co-writer Laura Swift (The University of Oxford) said: "As a Classics scholar, collaborating with A Contemporary Theatre company has made me think about these texts in a new way. Working with a text that hasn't been staged for thousands of years was exciting, but we were also drawn to the fragmented form of what survives. We wanted to make something that celebrated the fact that we have only fragments and treated it as a virtue rather than an inconvenience."

Potential Difference is led by Artistic Director Russell Bender. Formed in 2013, Potential Difference is a London-based theatre company that commissions and produces new work inspired by science, philosophy, and technology. Potential Difference seeks out extraordinary writers, designers and theatre-makers, and brings them together with academics and subject specialists to inspire and inform each other's practice, and to stimulate new ways of telling stories through live performance. Around each production, the company curates talks, articles and workshops. Past shows include Game of Life by Rose Lewenstein (The Yard) and Darknet by Rose Lewenstein (Southwark Playhouse). For Fragments, Potential Difference are working with puppeteer Jess Mabel Jones (The Flop, Backstage in Biscuit Land).

The Playground Theatre is an off-West End theatre dedicated to nurturing new talent and staging an international programme of shows. Led by co-Artistic Directors Peter Tate and Anthony Biggs, the unique space is a former bus depot located on Latimer Road. Its name is intended as an invitation to theatre makers and performers to come and "play", and to encourage bold experimentation with new works for the stage. Since it opened, The Playground Theatre has cultivated relationships with international companies and practitioners. To date, this has seen the venue work with leading creatives from Poland, Russia, Lithuania, Japan and beyond.

Running Time: 80 mins (no interval) | Suitable for ages 12+

Audience Guidance: Mild Language, Flashing Lights, Audience interaction

Captioned Performances available, for more details: theplaygroundtheatre.london

Company information

Written by Laura Swift and Russell Bender 
Directed by Russell Bender

Songs by Jon McLeod and Victoria Saxton   
Shadow puppetry by Jess Mabel Jones

Set Design by Lucy Sierra     
Puppetry Associate: Lori Hopkins

Lighting Design by: SHERRY COENEN   
Production Management by: Pete Rickards for eStage

Associate Producer: Natalie Allison

To post a comment, you must register and login.