Rendering №7

The editorail published on March, 21 is headlined “Punchdrunk’s The Drowned Man: 'their playfulness and need to bewitch has not dimmed'”. The article discusses the situation that immersive theatre company Punchdrunk have announced a new show, The Drowned Man, by staging a secret production in east London. Daisy Bowie-Sell went along.

It carries a lot of comment on that immersive theatre company Punchdrunk never do things in halves. As a proof of it, the author of the articke writes that Their particular brand of epic, elaborate theatre has been confusing and beguiling audiences from when they began staging shows all over Devon in 2000. After setting up in London they had successes with two huge works – Faust, where they transformed a derelict warehouse in Wapping, and The Masque of the Red Death which took over the entirety ofBattersea Arts Centre for a year. Then, the correspondent reasonably point out that  they’re back in London with their biggest show yet. Emphasizing this fact, the writes mentions that For their legions of dedicated, obsessive fans, this will be extremely exciting news. And as if to stir them up even more, Punchdrunk have decided to celebrate the announcement.

Analyzing this announcement, it’s worth saying that The ten minute experience is a tantalising taster of Punchdrunk’s new show - The Drowned Man: A Hollywood Fable - and it’s on for the next two weeks, available – and free – to anyone who is daring enough to walk into the unknown.

I’d like to cite the author thus showing his attitude: “That’s what I did and I was ushered through a dark doorway and down the back stairs of the shop. I quickly began to feel I had made a mistake and that Andrez might actually live there and I’d feel very stupid once I found him and looked at him expecting a performance.”

Giving appraisal to the situation, it’s necessary to point out that the Drowned Man is an adaptation of Woyzeck. They have teamed up with the National Theatre on what is the “next large scale show after The Masque of the Red Death,” according to Artistic Director Felix Barrett. The correspondent quotes Buchner : “It has a strange, splintered shape. It’s so compact and sparse. He died before it was finished but never said what order its scenes should come in. It defines the whole Punchdrunk form because it doesn’t matter which order you digest them in, an inevitable, terrible conclusion is perching on your shoulder.”

In conclusion, the author of the editorial says that it’s impossible to rate this live trailer as a show in its own right - it’s just a snippet of what’s to come. But it does prove that despite their global success Punchdrunk’s inventiveness, their playfulness and their need to bewitch have not dimmed. If anything, they are burning brighter.
As for be, I consider this editorial very interesting and worth reading. The style of Daisy Bowie-Sell’s writing awakes my interest in this play and I am going to find more information about this performance. Immersive theatre company Punchdrunk never do things in halves and as a result and tha play “The drown man” is going to be a proof of it.