Fear of Projection is the tale of Assistant Lecturer Ed, a troubled academic, who makes a hapless attempt to cover the presentation of a deceased colleague. A bemused audience witness his attempts to master a subject matter he knows nothing about, a tendency to reveal intimate details and a love affair with a very communicative er PowerPoint Projector. Indeed the Projector is intrinsic to the entire piece (do you get the title now?), even breaking down to enable Assistant Lecturer to go and have a breakdown offstage. This reliance on the contraption makes the material seem a little thin in places, even though ones opinion of projectors may change on a viewing of Fear of Projection, from Geography teachers dusty accomplice to flirtatious love machine.
The projectors animation sequence is worth going to see and Assistant Lecturer Ed performs the show with a lot of gusto. One feels however that the show has shot itself in the proverbials by lacking the confidence to do more with an hour than just project. This show keeps on track, but is let down by a script that needs a little work and a lack of resources. Frankly, the coy commentary illuminated on the back-wall reminded me as to why it is impossible to conduct affairs of the heart in instant message, comment or text-speak. For that I am grateful.
