A Little Space

By Danai Paraskevopoulou

Image courtesy of GeckoTheatre

Everyone needs a little space, but what happens when we get isolated? On 29 November, we saw ‘A Little Space’ at the Gulbenkian theatre, a collaboration brought by Mind the Gap and Gecko. The performance was about escaping the real world and isolating yourself in a ‘little space’. Homes can be a safe and silent place to escape from reality, but what happens when voices whisper you worst fears? The show brings forward stories of different people trying to escape from reality and getting trapped in supernatural events. It was an expressive, innovative, honest, and contemporary theatre performance which made the audience think of what happens when they are in their own little worlds and their thoughts start “eating” their minds.

The stage design by Rhys Jarman was absolutely fantastic and gave the actors a chance to use the stage in different ways. One feature was a house which was built by metal piping with small lights on the top, creating the aura of being trapped in one’s own home. The actors used it by hitting the metal piping in order to make a sound to alert the cast of changing the situation. The backdrop music by Mark Melville was also a very interesting element which was perfectly matched with the movement of the actors. The actors replaced the need for dialogue with communication through their excellent movement. The combination of stage and sound made the audience travel to a supernatural world, where monsters are inside the floor and voices are coming out from the furniture. The collaboration of the two companies displayed great work and highlighted their innovative ideas of self-reflection. The two theatre companies also worked amazingly with the actors involved.