'Suffocation' (2004)

Winner of 2006 'Debut' prize
on the
International Theatre Festival Malta, Poland.

A powerful, visceral, darkly humorous and yet subtle and sublime physical performance. It’s happened or is happening to all of us and yet we carry on as if life is normal. Two meet, fall in love, want to spend the rest of their lives together but never truly face each-other until… “Suffocation” takes place around a table, squashed in the corner of some room somewhere along with the audience. Forced into intimacy with the characters, the audience are made privy to the events which contributed to the apparently decaying relationship. Psychological games are magnified as they vie for their position, and as the struggle intensifies, so their emotions are externalised and physicalised.

Two people, two cultures, two languages, two paths, under one roof... Suffocation.

Suffocation is the first piece of work from the Equaldoubt. It was the company’s conscious decision to traverse performance styles previously unexplored in work - minimal text, choreographed movement, modern music and silence – in order to challenge their creativity. The resulting performance straddles theatre, dance and performance whilst, due to the nature of the narrative, remains accessible to a very wide audience, regardless of age, race or religion.

Equaldoubt makes experimental physical and visual work that explores the edges of emotions through physicality, music and theatre. The performance is a mixture between psychological and physical play. Creators try to challenge the audience by taking them into an unknown paradoxical adventure full of surprising pictures - from realism to abstraction.

Devised

Equaldoubt

Performed

Agnieszka Blonska
Sean Palmer

Music used

'Be my Husband' Nina Simone
'All that Jazz' smooth jazz mix
'Raindrops are falling on my Head' smooth jazz mix
Bill Laswell
'Quiet Simple Studies' Greg Goodale

Project Mentor

Jim Ennis (Art.Dir. Earthfall)

Audience reactions/ Press reviews
(Quotes from articles and audience comments)

“Individually accomplished, together they are startlingly exciting and accessible.”

Karen Price, ‘New Kids on the Block’ ITC Wales, November ‘05

“Equaldoubt make a stunning debut performance, a tour that combines domestic realism, manic comedy and energetic physicality with a truly impressive confidence.”

David Adams, Western Mail, July 2005

“[Suffocation] Leaves you emotionally winded”

Laura McDermot, Young Producer BAC, June ‘05

“Saw this last night and was so glad I did. It was beautiful, fresh and loaded – well done all! If anyone’s around tonight/tomorrow definitely go and see this!”

Tracy Harris, June 2005 (Theatre in Wales forum)

“Great stuff – beautiful images, compelling performances and witty story telling. What a show – physical theatre of the highest quality. Some excellent table work! …Make sure you don’t miss out.”

Alex Ferris, June 2005 (Theatre in Wales forum)

"Equaldoubt have quickly established themselves as one of Cardiff's most exhilarating new theatre companies.”

Chapter Arts Centre, June 2005

As Seen @

Chapter Arts Centre 04,05
tactileBOSCH art gallery
Coed Hills Rural Arts Space
The Space
South Hill Park 05,06
BAC
Arts Depot
Alsager Arts Centre
Prema Arts Centre
Glamorgan University
Octoberfest '05, BAC
FRESH performance Festival 2005
Oxford Playhouse BTS
Poznan Cultural Centre, PL
Polish National Theatre, Warsaw, PL
Malta International Festival of Theatre, PL
Puebla International Festival of Mime, Mexico
Presov International Festival of Theatre and Aesthetics, Slovakia