Preview: Crowds and Power

Preview: Crowds and Power

By Megan Barker

Sherman Cymru Youth Theatre and Company 5

Sherman Cymru Theatre 1

7.30pm    5th-7th June 2014

Always exciting and innovative Sherman Cymru’s community theatre groups are set to deliver another electrifying performance this week. The Youth Theatre and Company 5, made up of performers ranging from their 20s to their 80s, are joining forces to stage the premier of Megan Barker’s Crowds and Power.

Inspired by Nobel Prize winner Elias Canetti’s book Crowds and Power and using a real social experiment as its starting point the play explores the ideas of autocracy and the power of the crowd.

Young drama teacher Pinar encourages her students to think about what they want, what they really need and what they fear. When you are willing to really ask these questions it’s amazing how similar all of our basic desires and fears are. With this knowledge it must be easy to manipulate and control a population, for good or bad purposes.

Worrying poignant at this particular moment, the production considers the consequences of what happens when one person is given power over a mass of people. Why do the masses comply with the autocrat’s will? What would it take for an autocrat to gain power here in Britain and would we have any control over their rise to power?

Using real responses from the company members alongside quotations from the Hitler Youth, Roosevelt and Bertolt Brecht the script is an exciting study of human nature and our desire to belong.

In contrast to many of the youth theatre’s previous productions this is a much more text based production, providing new challenges for the performers. Alongside the spoken word the company are still utilising their trademark bold staging and raw physicality, a blend that was stunning to watch in rehearsal. The real performance, with dramatic lighting and sound is going to be breathtaking.  

Despite the rather heavy topic the performers bring light and shade to the words and Pinar in particular has a charming humour that captures the imagination. Sadly for actress Pinar Ogun the themes explored through the play are all too familiar. Having left her home country in the last 12 months due to its recent turn towards autocracy she says, “Sadly, I personally experienced how life threatening it can be when those in power transform the crowds into herds.”

These groups at Sherman Cymru always produce exciting, experimental work that is completely different to many youth theatres and community performance groups. The productions often reach professional standards and are always full of spectacle and powerful visual images. This production looks like it could be their best yet, with a meaty topic and talented performers who are completely committed to the work.

I really recommend you get tickets to see what is guaranteed to be another unforgettable experience.

To find out more about the show and for tickets: click here.

For the Sherman Cymru ticket office: 029 2064 6900