Stan's Cafe on Black Maze and Revolutionary Steps

Stan's Cafe on Black Maze and Revolutionary Steps

03 August, 2010
by: Naima Khan

Stan's Cafe talk to Naima Khan about two of their interactive theatre shows opening at National Theatre this summer.

This August, National Theatre are once again opening up their doors to a multitude of interactive, family-friendly theatre for the summer holidays. Their newest guests are the indomitably innovative Stan's Cafe who made their presence known in curious style in a booth at the One on One festival with the befuddling It's Your Film. At a festival celebrating innovation in theatre, Stan's Cafe proved themselves ahead of the game by showcasing the illusionary peep show first performed in 1998.

They're making their presence felt in London this summer with two touring shows, Revolutionary Steps and Black Maze, which will both be rocking up at National Theatre in August. As associate director Craig Stephens and graphic designer Simon Ford scour the building getting ready to lay out the script for Revolutionary Steps, I caught up with them in the calm before a particularly exciting storm to come.

"Most of the sounds you hear and the things you experience are generated by you," Craig begins, describing the barely tangible Black Maze experience. "It's not like a ghost train – nothing jumps out at you. It's more about you're own sense of yourself in that space."

Black Maze is, as the title would indicate, a maze you find your way through in the dark. Built in the back of a truck, it welcomes individuals or small groups of people to walk around it triggering sounds via foot pads. It's an intimate theatre experience that's different for each participant, creating a one of a kind shared experience for those that enter in in twos or threes.

The key differences come from the theatregoers themselves, as Craig explains: "some people race around it, some people go around really slowly, some people open the door and get scared but it's not designed to terrify people it's designed to be a contemplative journey".

The events leading up to its inception give you a clue of its organic theatrical nature and the innovative way Stan's Cafe have developed it. "The kernel of the idea came from James [Yarker, Artistic Director] who'd been at a fun fair where there'd been a switch back corridor so the further you went along the corridor, the darker it got and when you got to the switch back bit of it, it was pitch black and you had to find your way back." Craig explains. “Beyond the darkness thing, part of it comes from mythical journeys. Being on your own on a journey. Then it became about trying to get the longest journey possible in that 20' by 8' space."

Revolutionary Steps on the other hand is a far more public performance but still intimate, participatory theatre that becomes something different for each individual involved. Using parts of an adapted script for one of the National Theatre's current shows, Danton's Death, Stan's Cafe have enable the play to spill out of the theatre into various nooks and crannies of the building for the audience to explore for free. Again, their concept stirs up the part of us that likes to perform for ourselves: "the original idea came from teach yourself dance mats. We liked the idea that you can create the pattern for a performance and allow others to act it out."

Using footprints to guide the audience around the building, Revolutionary Steps allows the audience to become the actors in their own production, exploring scenes of the French Revolution and solving puzzles, leading ultimately to Danton's demise. "You find your way through the building and you follow your way through the show," Craig explains. "You can re-enact scenes that follow the story of the play. You can participate as much as you like – some people go to the show and look at it like a gallery piece, but we've also added some child-friendly aspects to make it more family oriented."

Revolutionary Steps runs at until 30th August. Black Maze runs until 8th August as part of Watch This Space. Admission is free.

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Naima Khan