PRESS for DOUBLETHINK

from Edinburgh 2005:

"The theatrical environment closes in on the newcomers, swallows them up and then spits them out. The delicacy with which a narrative is conveyed through subtle prompting and emotional revelation is simply breathtaking." - Michael Coveney, NEW STATESMAN

"A fascinating piece of theatre. It starts out with the two actors on either side of a white canvas. Watching them relearn how to perform without thinking about what they are doing and how each interprets their commands in subtly different ways, is a treat in itself. The show is about more than that, however, and its success is dependent on a strong and well-planned script [...] More to the point it works on many levels. It is about the whole process of performance, about the audience second guessing what is going on, about trust, and about the relationships between men and women. But ultimately, it is simply great fun to watch." - Thom Dibdin, THE STAGE

"What is most interesting in this unique, intriguing and nightmarish show, directed with inspired creativity by Ant Hampton, is the fact that the two 'guests' have no idea what's coming next. This notion of unpredicability keeps you gripped as does the impression that they don't know WHO to be. Are they just themselves, or characters they are construcing as they go along, or are they showing their own 'performance personae'? In fact, they seem to embody all these identities and are most captivating when glimmers of true vulnerability seep out - when bewildered, worried or amused by their instructions. It feels like a clinical experiment, beautifully original, celebrating individualism and all the while examining the confusion of control and power. The ambiguity of the commands leads to dark, playful imagery, creating a world brimming with meaningful madness." - Michelle Macintyre, THE LIST [4 stars]

"This year's cult hit" - SUNDAY TIMES [4 stars]

"COMIC and dark by turns, this is one of the most exciting shows on the Fringe, the one that will make you think about everything you do and everyone you see for the rest of the day... full of surprises.. a guaranteed thought-provoker" - THE SCOTSMAN [4 stars]

"Rotozaza's Doublethink is an innovative piece of genuinely experimental theatre... captivating and hilarious.. extremely ambitious" - Andrew Richardson, METRO [four stars]

From the Dublin Fringe Festival 2004:

" a fascinating exercise in psychological puppetry... a superb deconstruction of notions of relationship... a triumph of technological and conceptual prowess, in the guise of bare-bones avant-gardism." - IRISH TIMES [5 stars]

"An extraordinary construction that's all about deconstruction, doublethink is truly a journey, a power trip gone awry, a discourse into the dynamics of relationship. While it begins feeling something like an art installation, as the boundaries fall apart and the mayhem intensifies, it becomes artfully theatrical and dramatic. Never pretentious, technologically savvy, and deeply interesting... interrogating the way that the mechanics of theatre affect its emotional life." - Susan Conley, www.wow.ie