"We are in a time of paralysis.
And nobody can understand why.
We all know that something is deeply wrong within our society.
But we are unable to act.
We are increasingly interconnected.
Yet power seems further away than ever before."
"Does this sound familiar?
Good.
Because we have been here before."
if not this then that is a play performed entirely by the audience. The unravelling narrative explores the influence of colonialism on the development of computing technology and addresses how these attitudes have influenced the algorithmic and binary systems that govern computers. The play also critiques contemporary theatrical norms and conventions, and discusses how our history shapes our perceptions of the ‘self’ and ‘otherness’ in the present.
The play takes the form of a collection of disconnected scenes and activities for the audience to perform individually or as a group. These collective actions raise poignant political revelations about the potential biases, assumptions and attitudes of the audience. It’s up to each individual whether they follow the instructions, but someone must for the play to progress.
Inspired by Adam Curtis’ documentary 'can’t get you out of my head', this piece is influenced by instruction based participatory theatre, like work.txt by Nathan Ellis, An Oak Tree by Tim Crouch and A Citizen's Assembly by Andy Smith.
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“There’s something great in here about knowledge and memory. Creating the world. The things we hold onto. The places we go/have been. The things that we have and are left with.” - Andy Smith, Theatre-maker
“British theatre would be completely stymied without tiny, under-resourced venues such as CPT, which are a critical part of the theatre ecology.”
Lyn Gardner Stagedoor
