Stop the Clocks

Traditional theatre keeps actors a safe distance away, preferably on a stage. Barring a serious mishap, nothing is expected to go wrong, and the realms of possibility remain confined. Even better, one may watch a play which was written a few hundred years ago, well ingrained in the public consciousness. This will restrict the number of surprises.

Tin Box Theatre Company take a different tack. They invite the theatregoer to a derelict coffin factory at night with no electricity. They lead them through the eerie vacant space by torchlight, gather them in close, and tell them stories of a dead woman.

The show used a range of theatrical tools to tell the story, stimulating all the senses, from the olfactory assault of the dusty old factory, to snatches of physical theatre, close-up storytelling, and audio overlaid with headphones. It was a really great show from a young company, and not creepy as it might have been, for a show in a coffin factory.