You Need More - Theatre

By Kat Skidmore. Suitable for age 12+

Fringe Future winner.

You Need More. In a world that calls itself democratic, who is actually in charge? A bold, immersive work exploring control, power and the quiet sense that things are slipping out of our hands. Two siblings remain locked in a world of their own making — their games becoming increasingly strange, risky, and unsettling. What begins as play shifts into something darker. Blending sensory theatre and audience immersion, the piece dismantles the barrier between performer and audience.

"You Need More' is a new approach to investigating how a societies lack of control influences decision making and relationships. It reflects the growing concerns, especially amongst the working class, and young people about the loss of control we are currently experiencing through politics. It seems absurd that in a democratic world, you have no choice but to watch society crumble around you.

We see two siblings, engrossed in their own world, a reality consumed by their imagination. They never seem to age, playing games that get more risky, obscure and downright strange as the years pass. The older sibling often takes on an 'leader' role during play, dictating what must be done, when and how.

Sensory deprivation, the repurposing of everyday objects and the breaking down of audience and performer barriers are all themes for us. The sensory work emerged from the idea of loss of control, by taking away sight, some may feel exposed, others may feel comfortable. It helps us to twist the perspectives and continuously double down and redirect the audience in their feelings towards the narrative. By taking away the separation that is so common in traditional theatres, and having the action take place amongst the audience, they feel comfortable, involved and invested in the narrative. Then, we twist the narrative, the comfortable becomes grotesque, the control becomes non existent and we see the siblings succumb to the fate elected for them by those in power, asking the question, Who is really in charge?"