Negative Space at New Adephi Theatre
Kristy Stott, Theatre Editor
Reckless Sleepers create original theatre pieces, installations and interventions for theatres, galleries and site-specific projects that seek to entertain and challenge their audience. Their work is created from a period of research and development: ideas are central, projects are installed rather than prescribed and mistakes are embraced. Their performance piece, Negative Space pushes and destroys convention and in doing so, establishes new boundaries in performance. This contemporary piece comes to the New Adelphi Theatre in Salford for two performances this October.
In 2014, Reckless Sleepers started to put the pieces of Negative Space together. The company built a timber frame, lined it with plasterboard and for several weeks, started to smash it up and destroy it. These fragments of destruction became the theatre project entitled Negative Space – a visually striking performance.
From a blank architectural canvas, something fantastical emerges. It’s a love story. It’s a slapstick comedy. It’s slasher, action, melodrama…and not a single word is spoken. The audience are encouraged to find their own possible stories within the destruction.
Devised and performed by Alex Covel, Leentje Van de Cruys, Leen Dewilde, Kevin Egan, Tim Ingram, Rebecca Young and director Mole Wetherell, Negative Space leaves the audience to construct their own narratives and draw their own conclusions from the show. Alternatively, audiences can appreciate the entertaining physical comedy and remain completely perpexed. Either way, it’s an intriguing performance.
