Award-winning theatre company entertain pupils, parents and staff
Straight from the 2019 Brighton Fringe- where they won the prize for Best Newcomer – theatre company Out of Chaos, with their award-winning show Unmythable, recently entertained pupils, parents and staff in the New Bury Theatre.
Emulating the great theatrical performances of Ancient Greece, three actors used costumes, accents, songs, and – not least – their own incredibly versatile acting skills, to recreate around 50 characters from dozens of ancient myths. The similarities continued: using pop-culture references and a sometimes-satirical take on the tales, the show was laughter-inducing and peppered with pathos for some of the more tragic figures. The only thing that separated this show from those of Aeschylus was that the performance featured three female actors.
Favourite moments included the depiction of the myth of Hades’ entrapment of Persephone in the Underworld, with two actors portraying the four characters of Persephone, Demeter, Hades and Zeus, with impeccable comic timing. Another highlight was the creation of man and their downfall, featuring Zeus and Prometheus as mad scientists, which led into a beautiful ballad by three women remembered as wicked in history (Pandora, Medea and Helen).
The audience was wide-ranging, from Year 7 pupils to parents. Here are some of their reviews:
“It was a joyful skip through some of our foundational myths and stories, all told with verve and creativity,” Mr Fanthorpe.
“Unmythable was a laugh-out-loud romp through classical mythology performed with wit, ingenuity and enough knowing winks to the more salacious moments of Classical Civilisation to keep the adults entertained as well as the children. It was, in short, unmissable,” Mr Smith.
“I came to watch this last night and the quality of their performance was outstanding. It was thoroughly enjoyable from start to finish. Three incredibly talented performers who engaged well with the audience and provided us with a very entertaining account of the Greek myths,” Mrs Paterson.
“I thought the show was rather fabulous. I did not know what to expect and was surprised by how much I laughed and how wonderfully each tale was brought to life. The physicality of the theatre was completely believable and, combined with the music and expressive performances, it moved me along a magical rollercoaster of emotions,” Mrs Watson-Saunders.“We very much hope to welcome Out of Chaos back in the future – with Unmythable or one of their other shows. Watch this space!” Katherine Barker, Head of Classics.