#Blink theatre marketlab review

[mtlreviews2020]

BLINK: Hashtags, Headlines and COVID-19 – The Market Theatre Laboratory’s rendition of theatre for online consumption, made in COVID-19. By Rethabile Headbush

The Market Theatre laboratory students have created yet another production this year, titled Blink. Produced by the Market Theatre Laboratory, the second years of the program have devised a fun and entertaining parody, poking fun at all the craziness surrounding South Africans during the nation’s Lockdown. Blink presents a ridiculous news broadcast fit for social media.

From the onset, we are introduced to the Blink world as a fly on the wall, peering into the behind the scenes preparations of the social media news team characters and their efforts to get the final “on screen” moment. An emphasis must be placed on “effort”, as this team barely gets away with the production of the broadcast. Throughout the piece there is ducking and diving over and under cameras, the camera man missing cues revealing seconds of some of the character’s funny off-screen moments. In one moment, after the news anchor introduces the “politically woke” analyst’s analysis on the president’s address, we catch a few seconds of him switching from on-screen TV smiles to off-screen frustration. The reasons behind his frustrations are then revealed in a split-screen, where we see the studio team, behind the scenes, initiating a scheduled sanitizing and fumigation break alongside the analyst’s analysis (which resembles a Twitter rant more than an objective inquiry).

In other “efforts” to carry out the broadcasts, there is the constant appearing and reappearing of the boom mic in every studio segment, as though it too is competing for camera time. There are studio team members distracting or ruining another’s scene, such as in the case where the news anchor takes pictures of the field reporter in studio on his cell phone, while she is giving her union buildings report. In another scene, the costume lady runs her clothing rail full of clothes right into the social forecast report and moments before we switch back to the anchor, we hear the forecaster exclaim hilariously exclaim – “what the fuck bra?”.  All the mishaps and fails that happen behind, and on camera, provide playful answers to the question of what could possibly go wrong in a broadcast.

The magic of the show lies in the split-screen moments that the Market Lab students stylistically chose, adding a fresh spin to the piece’s structure. As distinguished in the above mentioned examples, the moments on screen are made so much more interesting with the provided mini stories from the behind the scenes, that is if you are able to peer your eyes away from the world in front of the camera. Assuming the news broadcast style may have been reason why I found myself naturally leaning towards the on-camera split, it felt surprisingly comfortable to watch the piece in split-screen during the segments. This may owe to the choice to switch to and from full and split screen, inviting the audience to  peer into small behind-the-scene moments.

There are many moments in the behind-the-scene splits that are nuanced and detailed.  The comedic character relationships: the hopelessly devoted costume/make-up lady who, though sometimes forgetful, is always ready to provide the news anchor with the necessary touch up. Moments leading up to disaster and character role switch moments are well thought out and satisfying to watch. A lovely character-switch moment is seen when the camera man passes the camera to another team member and rushes to grab a blazer from the costume rack, to become the expert Scammotologist. On top of these choreographed and detailed moments, the characters themselves bring a unique flare to each segment of the piece. As an ensemble, the second years support each other, where everyone is fully aware of their part in the piece and how it connects to the next person and the piece, as a whole. As individuals, each performer finds a unique and relevant way to present their character, enhancing the social media theme of the piece. Each member of the Poke News broadcasting team played not just one role or person, but many roles. This multi-role embodiment speaks directly to our social medias,  where the platform gives many a space to many. The space to enhance oneself or to become another persona – clearly demonstrated by the same costume/make-up lady becoming the dazzling Data Index reporter.

The characters really carried the show, each bringing their own unique individual flair to the piece. Costume choices were prevalent and clear further, colouring the already recognisable and fun characters like the “big English” experts we see on the news, or interviewees in a field report who are passionate and sometimes don’t answer questions accordingly. In a sense, the Market theatre Laboratory students created two pieces – on stage and on camera - which were then presented as two versions of themselves, working together but also separately, as a possible way of bringing in theatre on screen.

The Woke Analyst’s text, one of the many well written moments of the show, was funny because one could easily identify someone in our circles who finds ways to make politics of any situation even when they sometimes don’t fully understand their subject matter. The catchy “What Would Mandela Do?” to our generation that is flooded with Mandela praise. The Scammotologist’s rambling and over-exaggerated use of jargon was just as funny, at one moment suggesting to “dismantle this emmantled entanglement” when the anchor asked him to answer the question. Instead, he proceeds to ramble on “resulting in the mainspringing of all maloproposims” which we, as the viewer, never get to fully understand.

The Market Lab students must be applauded for their experimentation with theatre on the online platform and on-screen. Blink sits well on the screen and as a theatrical piece, leaving us with a great interpretation of how theatre can be on screen. The main question I was left with was, “What does this piece really wanted to say about our current times and the topic of social media?”. With engaging and entertaining content, the piece missed an overall “Why? and What?”, with regards to the subject matter it was interrogating. In its headlines it touched on politics; #Feesmustfall; and technology not being available to third world countries. In its top stories it touched on our fears of the extent and possible consequences of 2020’s COVID-19; Lockdown cigarette bans; and the unaffordability of data. Although all very relevant and pressing questions, the show does not tie all the topics together to make a statement on any of the themes. This is the punch missing in the piece’s comedy. Overall, the concept is strong and engaging. With a bit more thought and refinement, Blink will grow to become and even more solid piece of important theatre.

With all the ridiculousness that comes with Blink, the show is not only entertaining but sheds light on our social media culture and the fake news and misinformation that we hear of almost every day. The piece will have any South African relating to our new normal, whether sanitizing at every moment, our ongoing data struggles or forgetting the dreaded mute button in a Zoom meeting. Blink was available on the Market Theatre laboratory’s social media Facebook and Instagram pages from Tuesday July 14 until Sunday July 19 and is an easy 20minute watch. It is still up on the Lab’s Instagram (IGTV) and will form part of the DFL festival (20 – 24th August). You will enjoy it alone, but I advise, for full on enjoyment, it is best viewed with company.