Gripping and emotionally charged, Forests is an experimental Fringe performance not to be missed. This highly visual performance which utilises aerial acrobatics and dance to call attention to the degradation of our native forests was a truly breath-taking experience and one of vital importance in the contemporary socio-political landscape.
A truly breath-taking experience and one of vital importance
The first thing you notice upon taking your seat at Forests is the giant, mechanical tree covered in willow branches which takes up the entire performance space, inviting the audience into the sounds and temporality of the rainforest. I enjoyed the immersive atmosphere this created for the piece, and it definitely aids in getting their message across. From the moment the lights go down over the stage, we are met with elegant dance routines and copious intricate stunts that quite literally make me gasp.
From there the story turns from one of friendship and nurture of one another and the forest to a tale of destruction. One member of the cast is out to dominate the forest, acting as a metaphor for human greed and consumption, whilst the other two cast members are ambassadors of the tree, trying to save it from being felled. This tension dominates the piece, leading up to a crescendo of sounds and fighting until the tree feller succeeds and the huge metal structure snaps and crashes to the ground. There is a clever moment here where, upon its felling, origami paper birds are released from the tree’s trunk and the cast members offer their fallen bodies to the audience. Each bird is littered with messages of hope from previous audience members. At the end of the performance, we were invited to add our own messages to the birds and deliver them back for the next show. I thought this was a nice touch as it incorporated a personal narrative and connection to an issue that sometimes feels very far away in the UK. Forests is a show that promotes accessibility to an important issue with grace and passion, helping immerse its audience in a narrative that should be on all our agendas.
