Emerging Edinburgh theatre company, Production Lines, has brought an innovative new production written by Edinburgh-based playwright Claire Wood this month, frisson. Told in two parts, the play invites the audience to watch either or both, and each story stands alone or can be enjoyed as a pair. The first story is told online, live on Zoom, while the second one takes place in person at the Leith Arches bar.
frisson kicked off on Tuesday, February 28 with frisson (online), a digital performance presented on Zoom through to Thursday, March 2. The second part took place at Leith Arches, Tuesday, March 7 to Thursday, March 9.
Each performance offered a voyeuristic view of a sweet and darkly funny story about finding love and finding the person you’ve always wanted to be. frisson is a new play that will take place online first, followed by an in-person production at Leith Arches. The production is intriguingly described as a coming out story in two parts, a love story a love letter to friends and a love song to your best mates.
It’s about the identity crisis that arises when everyone around you wants you to be something different but yourself, especially when the country has gone into lockdown. The play then also talks about picking up the pieces and remembering who you really are once back to normality.
frisson explores whether things were better for some of us when the country locked down and our social lives hopped online. It also celebrates the magic of being back together again, in person, reuniting with folk at your local pub. Two light-hearted, darkly funny plays tell Jonathan’s story as he’s dating and trying to meet a new man. Yet, online dating has got him so far: real life dating isn’t going according to plan, either.
Playwright Claire Wood said: “Now we might consider ourselves to be more or less post-pandemic, I’m interested in what we can learn from an experience that for most people, was consistently unpleasant. Is it easier for people to be honest online? Though given the lies that proliferate across the internet, maybe that honesty shouldn’t be encouraged.
One thing I am definitely keen to cling to is the chance to make theatre that reaches new audiences. People who might want to rock up in person but can’t or feel too uncomfortable doing so for that to be an appealing option. That’s why I’ve written frisson in two parts, so people who choose or prefer to stay home can also enjoy the magic of live theatre.”
So, hindsight is a beautiful gift, and we can explore what lockdown truly taught us in this two-part theatre series when it comes to ourselves and our interpersonal relationships. What is more, we look forward to see what both Claire and Production Lines have in store for the future.