I am not the first and certainly won't be the last reviewer to write about Six Women Standing Against A White Wall at this year's Fringe. Packing in two performances a day for the entire festival, Little Dove Theatre Art's new interactive live art work is an interesting proposition.
Six women walk slowly and timidly in single file, heads hung low and arms limply at their sides. They stand in front of a white wall. The music starts to blare out as the women twist and contort, as if suffering incredibly. And then it's up to the audience to make something happen.
It's a shame, in a way, that this show has received so much attention from the media, as the mystery seems somewhat absent as we watch the performance unfold. The piece has been so talked about that we *know* someone will, at some point, get up and touch one of the women. Therefore, much of the time it felt as if the women were being used as toys to play with; 'I'll hug her and see what happens' seems to be the impetus for much of the crowd. In my opinion, this is missing the point and almost spoils it for the rest of us.
The performers do an incredible job of portraying their emotions and the need to do something to stop their agony is rather compelling. I look in the eyes of one of the women, I smile, I hold her hand, tears well up in her eyes, she smiles, I hold her. The connection is searingly personal. However, this doesn't last after I've left her. As I return to my seat, she returns to her misery. Fair enough, I thought, so I tried to get two of the women to hold each other's hands. They wouldn't do this. I can't help but wonder what exactly this means. These six women are refusing to help each other or help themselves. If they won't even comfort each other, then how as an audience can we be expected to come to their aid?
I found this quite frustrating and as the piece drew to a close I had a lot of questions running through my mind. While the concept was simple and provocative, I do find it a little difficult to identify with the notion that people are not content unless they are being continually touched by strangers.
