Ballsy take on eco-themes

Net Curtains production of “One, Nineteen” at The Arcola fringe theater London, which launched last night, mixes great themes � media obsession with celebrity, the ever declining credibility of politicians, and the inevitable fall-out and destruction from climate change – hence our interest here at off-grid.

You can see a five minute excerpt embedded lower down this story.

The Arcola had already announced its intention to go off-grid (Cate Blanchett, take note) so its great they have included “One:Nineteen” In their repertoire. Click “keep reading” to see a 5-minute excerpt from the play.

Titled after the current trend for dating our major catastrophes, the story starts on January 19th –Climate chaos brings devastating floods to the coast of England. But when the helicopters hover into view they bring cameras — not rescuers.

The play’s action takes place from just behind the cameras.

Meet the mother of ‘Sam, Jack and little Chloe’ whose desperate search for her children hits the headlines. Will the media sensation help her find her family? And will it disguise a far more pressing agenda?

Tim Stimpson’s script lifts the lid on our ravenous news culture and how we respond to environmental catastrophe.

Directed by Alan Wilson and starring Claire Farrington, the plot opens on a stormy night on the nineteenth of January. Freak winds and rising sea levels result in massive waves surging inland. When the Secretary of State for the Environment visits the scene she is ambushed by a distraught mother whose three small children are trapped in her attic. Completely unable to offer any effective help, the Minister�s bumbling reactions are caught on camera bringing accusations of government incompetence and projecting the plight of Sam, Jack and little Chloe into the headlines.

The children become a symbol of the disaster and the entire nation, encouraged by an ambitious reporter, wait anxiously to see if they will be found. Meanwhile a radical environmental activist is enraged that the issue of climate change, the clear cause of the disaster, is being eclipsed by the search for three children. At the same time a celebrity activist is so moved by their predicament that he rallies his musician friends to produce a charity single and ultimately a massive concert at the Wembley Stadium.

As the night of the concert approaches the fates of the various characters intertwine. For a while the minister manages to regain her popularity by associating herself with the celebrity � that is until she is brought down by leaks from her own government.

As the search for the children drags on, the press and the reporter turn against the mother and run stories about her less than virtuous past. Meanwhile the eco-activist becomes increasingly frustrated and resorts to more and more extreme methods to get his message across. In the end though, it is the mother�s night as Sam, Jack and little Chloe�s rescue is announced in front of an ecstatic audience of millions.

Focusing on what happens just out of shot, �One, Nineteen� presents �theatre on camera�. Tune in and turn on to reality in the making.

One, Nineteen runs from 13 November to 1 December 2007 at the Arcola Theatre, 0207 503 1646

Tags: off-the-grid