Tales for an Unruly Audience

The art of storytelling has always inspired our imaginations. From tales of magic, chivalry and heroism, to ones involving an infamous villain or two. No matter how old we are, any of these characters and adventures stir the heart and mind. Tales For an Unruly Audience invites us to step back in time when stories in an oral tradition were popular; especially if it involved entertainment, drinking and more. George Attwill from Lung and a Half Full Theatre takes inspiration from when Bards were the storytellers and brings this beautiful art form into our modern era.

It will keep you on your toes, make you smile and maybe create stories of your own

Whilst some audiences may need warming up to begin with, Attwill uses a fusion of storytelling and improvisation games to break the ice, which adds to the experience and spontaneity of the event itself. As the story progresses, those sitting in the front two or three rows also have a chance to get interactive using unique creative props enabling them to become involved with the stories themselves. These range from the 'Pearls of Wisdom' a magician tries to catch in his hat being represented by ping pong balls, to attacking a prop giant with confetti cannons. By using these methods, the fun element is raised and encourages the audience to become more 'unruly' as proceedings unfold.

One thing that makes Attwill's performance interesting to watch is his ability to adapt to any audience, which can be a hard feat to achieve. He does this in such a way that despite the unexpectedness improvisation can bring, he maintains a strong connection between each story so that the flow continues to keep the attention on what is evolving. Through his simple use of a swift change of costume suggestion (such as coats and hats), to a comedic use of music and sound effects, Attwill enhances the stories in such a way that our imaginations can see each event on stage clearly. By experiencing this form of storytelling and performance combined, one can also see it not just in a theatre style setting, but a more intimate one such as around a fire, or a smaller room above a pub without the props involved; except the power of the words spoken.

Tales for an Unruly Audience is a show that due to audience interactions and suggestions, will be different each time, making it one that is worth experiencing to see what else inspires George Attwill's storytelling skills. It will keep you on your toes, make you smile and maybe create stories of your own.