Review: OLIVE JAR, Grand Junction

What is theatre fundamentally about? Why do we create any form of literature or performance? Why do we tell stories? Stories are such a formative part of life, forging our knowledge of the world and helping to bring communities together.

These ideas are reiterated through Olive Jar, a theatre performance which has taken the stories of everyday people and turned them into a creative experience. Through the stories of the local community told in their own voices, those around them are able to gain an understanding of their lives while outsiders gain an insight into the experiences and trials of others. Ultimately, this is what theatre is all about.

This piece of theatre brings together a group of people from London’s Arab communities and gives them the opportunity to share formative aspects of their lives in a unique and interesting way. This is achieved through the idea of the olive jar - a jar in which memories are stored. Throughout the course of the evening (almost) every performer opens their jar, releasing their story and welcoming the audience to experience it alongside them. These stories range from wedding scenes to warfare to the experience of being a tourist in London…

Created over the course of a year through workshops, this performance weaves stories and music together to create something that feels magical and unique. Director Elias Matar has clearly worked closely with his performers to ensure that their stories are each told to the highest quality, with every tale having a slightly different feel to it.

Despite the many different voices speaking about their lives, there is a flow to the whole performance and a deliberate linking through the creation of a wider, factory floor inspired setting to the show. There is a cohesiveness between the words being spoken and the accompaniments by percussionist Nuno Brito, harpist Georgie Pope and the beautiful voice of singer Ruba Shamshoum. The music becoming as essential to the narrative as the words themselves.

This was a performance which was as much about the audience experience about what was taking place upon the stage. There was certainly no fourth wall, with the speakers directly addressing their audience and encouraging them to gain deeper immersion into the stories. This immersion was primarily created through food, with audience members being offered mint tea, olives and dolma at key moments within the narratives. An additional touch, which furthered the authenticity and reminder that these were real people’s stories was the use of multilingualism both through the music and dialogue.

This is a performance which celebrates the power of stories within a welcoming environment. Whether you share cultural heritage with one of the speakers or not, there is an opportunity here to learn and listen about the lives of others. Audiences are encouraged to open their minds, and their mouths, and experience so many aspects of life in such a short span of time.

Olive Jar runs until 27 April at Grand Junction, as part of the Elixir Festival which runs until 2 May

Photo Credits: Ellie Kurttz

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