The Drama Department’s very own Tim Keenan, expert in anything related to Japanese theatre, directed (with the assistance of Natalie Russell and Seda Yildiz) the very striking and superbly naturalistic play, ‘Scientifically Minded’. Written originally by Oriza Hirata, the play takes the audience into a Science Faculty common room where they witness a series of snap shots from the lives of several characters; whether it’s to do with their scientific projects or their personal lives. It subtly implies the consequences of genetic engineering whilst also displaying the characters’ stories from the outside world.
The stage accommodates a large cast of sixteen characters, each with unique characteristics that the audience either learn to love or dislike. You can tell that each character is a defined individual with a great amount of time and energy spent on them, and this benefitted the nature of the drama. With the piece being highly naturalistic, the moment that one of the actors sits with their back to the audience there is a sense of unease. The question arises: why on Earth would you go against the norms of theatre? Simple. It’s a big risk to add authenticity and it worked very well, with immense effect.
Credit should also go to the designers who created a wonderfully convincing set. A large desk took central stage, where all the characters accumulated at different moments and the background consisted of in-built lockers.
There were also a variety of brilliant comic moments that heightened the genuineness of the piece. For example, Michael Hotchkiss’ character, Toda, hiding in his locker or just simply Dan Priestley’s character, Nakajima. However, one thing that really stood out was whether the audience were laughing at the comic moments of the characters or whether they were laughing merely because they knew the actor and could relate the comedy to them.
Overall, with its intense natural performance and, in some parts, stretched-out silences, the piece was truly excellent to watch and experience.
Francesca Fulton
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