An open letter to Punchdrunk
I got unlucky with Kabeiroi. Well actually, I didnât get unlucky, I just didnât get lucky. Despite attempts at 2 ballots and the general sale, I didnât manage to get tickets. But then again, neither did my mum, my dad, my boyfriend or my friend.
But to be honest, my sadness at not getting tickets was actually less than my sadness at the announcement of the show in the first place. To hear about an immersive âon the streets of London experienceâ didnât sound like your sort of thing, partly because there are so many other companies doing something similar. I know that you want to progress and keep your audience on their toes, but my concern was - could it be that in trying so hard to not be like yourselves youâve ended up like everyone else?
In a way I was lucky, I was able to at least try for tickets to Kabeiroi, and if I had got tickets would have been able to make the vast majority of slots. The same doesnât go for others. I know you had more âaccessibleâ shows, but what about those who couldnât âaccessâ the show because they couldnât take an afternoon off work at short notice, or even a day or two if they didnât live in London? What about those who are of a nervous disposition, or not fit enough to run around the city? For what usually feels like such an inclusive company with such an inclusive community around it, it all felt very exclusive.
I know you donât owe me, or anyone else, anything. Itâs not that I feel entitled, but I do want to make a point that itâs sad to see a company with such a devoted fanbase (many of us travelling across continents just to see your work) make work that so few will be able to experience.
No theatrical experience has ever meant more to me than those created by Punchdrunk, and I know Iâm not unique in this. For me, it started with The Drowned Man then went on to two versions of Sleep No More across multiple cross-continental trips. I love the format of those shows that you created, theyâre your âthingâ, your âUSPâ, your signature product. And with every passing year of no new âtraditionalâ Punchdrunk show in London, I become more and more worried that weâll never get one again.
I know some people criticise you for using the same format, but no one criticises any traditional theatre for using the âprosceniumâ format over and over again. No one goes to a production at The Globe and says âWell it was okay, but that whole âstageâ thing felt a bit derivativeâ. And I know that youâre capable of progressing within that format too, comparing the Shanghai and New York Sleep No Mores shows how you can progress even within the same storyline / world.
I guess, what I want to say is that I hope this isnât the end of the Punchdrunk that I fell in love with. One day I hope to see a new show of yours (or old, Iâd love you to remount The Drowned Man), that creates these vast worlds in which I can escape these busy streets of London. But for now, I suppose I say thank you for everything I was so lucky to experience, and maybe we can never go home any more.