Wrestling the Walrus is the winner of the latest Hodgkiss award. This year’s prize is supported by Stockton’s ARC and the Yard theatre, London, as well as its initiating collaborator, Manchester Royal Exchange. Originally intended to help a young director put on a new piece of writing, the scope of the award has gradually evolved in the six years since its launch. It is now open not only to individual artists but also to companies, based in the north of England, who want to create a “bold, original piece of live, performance-based work”. Out of the 10 shortlisted entries, the one submitted by 154 Collective most closely matched this remit and won the £4,000 prize, along with artistic mentorship, paid R&D opportunities and support to mount and tour the production.
The initial set-up appears simple. A wooden bench sits underneath a pergola on a grassy mound, the whole backed by a screen suggesting a blue sky. To the right of this stage are placed, in full view of the audience, three musician-composers. On the bench sits an older man. A younger woman arrives, breathless. They begin a conversation. Gradually, over a series of encounters, a touching, intimate relationship emerges. The characters tell and retell stories to one another (the script is by Dan Mallaghan, who also directs). Projections (of animations, images, abstract shapes) and live music (instrumental and song) accompany the action. As borders between reality and imagination blur, complexities are revealed behind the seeming simplicity.
The boldness of the project lies in the combination of its various elements. But while each is well crafted, the overall balance among them is off-kilter: the action begins to feel forced and overlong. That said, the process of development is ongoing, and there is potential here for something special.
• At ARC, Stockton-on-Tees, 9-10 July; and the Yard, London, 16-18 July
