The Listening Room
by Crowded Roomtheatre
Award winning exploration of life, death & justice, featuring the true stories of five people whose lives were transformed by violent crime
about the production
The Listening Room explores three violent crimes, each committed by young men, and the extraordinary decision taken by victims and offenders to meet years later. The devastating consequences of the crimes are explored alongside the humanity of the interviewees and the transformative impact of the meetings. In an increasingly impersonal and fractured era, this piece uses live performance to explore the power of face to face communication.
about the artist
Crowded Room is run by Mark Knightley and Harriet Madeley. We make formally inventive theatre that uses personal testimonies to confront complex issues. We create work with the aim of bringing mixed and unlikely audiences together, believing in the potential for theatre to be a unifying social event. We are: Commissioned by Collusion to create 2030: an immersive installation exploring global hopes and fears around artificial intelligence of the near future. Developing Lightning with the Velindre Cancer Centre in Cardiff: a verbatim piece that explores the experience of nearing the end of life.
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stage dimensions
width: 5 metres
height: 2 metres
depth: 3 metres
None
Theatre audiences that like innovative work - the play uses random casting, abstract use of paint and recorded delivery (actors listen to the interviews on headphones and repeat the words they hear)
Young People (14 - 21) - Every crime depicted in the play was committed by a person under the age of 21. Accordingly, those aged 14-21 are a key target audience for us.
Those Directly Affected by Crime
Diverse political audiences (Daily Mail/Spectator/Guardian) - The play is unusually well suited to all three groups.
"Anyone with an interest in drama should see this show… you emerge with your consciousness altered, your conception of human beings elevated and amplified... it delivers all the perfections that great theatre aims for… a painful, shocking, vital, uplifting experience. Quite unforgettable.”
“Elicits that most fragile but precious quality – hope”
“Compelling and raw. Art in its truest form”
We have adopted the techniques of the 'Extra-Live' movement, to make our show accessible for all, with relaxed performances, soft beginnings and raised lighting where appropriate.
We have developed the show for audiences who may be unused to a theatrical setting and performed in prisons, hospitals and for pupil referral units.
We have conducted BSL interpreted shows and the storytelling nature of the show makes it particularly appropriate for audiences of impaired vision.
Please conduct us to let us know your requirements.
Post-show talks with the contributors featured in the piece and/or experts in restorative or criminal justice (where available)
Workshops on recorded delivery and approaches to restorative justice.
Fees are negotiable.
