Arches Lane Theatre will close for good in 8 days, having had its lease pulled early by Battersea Power Station. In this final week, it has two productions running: Sense and Sensibility in the main auditorium; and Middle Distance in the theatre bar. It’s an immersive play for a small audience, written by Aimee Dickinson (who also directs), Isabel McGrady, and Ariana Van Biljon, and is the theatrical debut for the creative collective ANTE.
Sophia (McGrady) works behind the bar. Her sister, Tas (Molly Goetzee) is visiting for the first time in a while. In the pub, they work out uncomfortable truths relating to their memories and experiences as siblings. Their brother, Luke, is still a lasting presence in their life despite being ‘gone for a while’. Their relationship is strained and suspicious; their recollections differ. But in an hour, can this change so they can become as close as they once were?
Utilising the space in front of and behind the bar, as well as areas above and around, Middle Distance quickly feels as if we are watching a real pair of sisters. Tas pulls in members of the audience to explore thorny topics like reacting to a proposal or dealing with a first date, while Sophia disappears to engage in one-sided phone calls that are not always clear to us.
There are occasional issues with audibility within the space, but that perhaps works within the conceit of us overhearing a private conversation in someone’s workplace. The two women’s distress and discomfort with the shadows of the past is well-portrayed, while the use of technology – iPads and music players – fits in well with the space and the ambience.
At just over an hour (we started late due to the main house audience taking time to leave), this play starts to get going and find its rhythm just after the half-hour point. Tas’s news feels a little forced in the telling, but Sophia’s shyness is sweet when she spots a girl she likes, and their shared love for the absent Luke is never in doubt.
In this current form, I’m giving it 3 stars. It works well, but it could do more with its story and setting to pull us into the relationships earlier and make us invested in the outcome.
Middle Distance is at Arches Lane Theatre Bar until 21 Sep.
More on ANTE: https://antecollective.com/website/home/middledistance/
More on Kibo Productions, who run Arches Lane Theatre and Barons Court Theatre: https://www.kiboproductions.com/
Photo credits: ARTE Collective