Tobacco Factory Theatres and Circomedia have joined forces to show three highlights of the 2016 BE Festival. This annual summer festival takes place at Birmingham REP and specialises in presenting unconventional work from Europe that defies easy categorisation. First of the three selected pieces comes from Germany: Situation With Outstretched Arm by Oliver Zahn. This is a performance essay on the Hitler salute, presented by a solitary young woman, Sara. She demonstrates this notorious Nazi symbol while we hear a disembodied voice give a dry, academic account of its origins. This emotionally detached, analytical lecture contrasts with the obvious physical strain that Sara experiences when holding the salute for long periods of time. We learn that the salute is illegal in Germany, and that it can only be performed in the context of art or science. But can such a highly-politicised gesture ever be seen as ‘art’? Situation With Outstretched Arm offers a challenging and sometimes sardonic exploration of how the straight-arm salute became so toxic, and the difficult questions that arise when artists seek to neutralise it through performance.
The second piece is much lighter in mood, and takes a frantically-paced and often very witty look at the discontinuity and disruption that can blight modern life. Sotteraneo’s Overload is presented by four Italians and a goldfish, with the latter acting as a symbol for limited attention-span. The action consists of a series of physical and verbal non-sequiturs, each interrupting its predecessor. The audience is invited to contribute to the chaos – this is a show where you are asked to turn your mobile phone on. It’s all very silly, but very clever, too. Be prepared to throw fruit and veg at the cast.
The final piece is Vacuum, from the Swiss Companie Philippe Saire. This is a slow-paced and very beautiful celebration of the human form. Against a pure black background, two horizontal neon lights, one above the other, frame a space in which monochromatic, organic shapes slowly appear and fade away. These ambiguous shapes begin to become a little more defined; they are limbs, arched backs, shoulders, though quite how they are magically appearing in this space remains a mystery. At times the rounded contours of the bodies are reminiscent of those photographs by Bill Brandt where nudes take on the form of polished pebbles. The mood is meditative, though there is a tension that arises between an appreciation of the aesthetics of the piece and the more prosaic desire to work out how the trick is done. I found it fascinating.
Three pieces of work that could not be more different in mood or method, but which all act as a splendid advert for the wide-ranging creativity and energy of new European theatre. ★★★★☆ Mike Whitton 6th May 2017
