Etiquette

Etiquette is a private theatrical experience for two people in a public space. The participants take a seat across from each other at a small table (the stage), put on headphones and follow a recorded script, complete with stage directions taking them through a half-hour play, in which they are both performers and audience. As the scene is quiet and conversational, others in the public space are usually unaware that anything is happening at all. It’s best done with someone you know — but it’s a rare experience to share with a stranger.

The characters of a young girl and a philosopher lead the participants into several micro-situations, many of them borrowed from film and theatre, where the ‘bubble’ shared between two people splits and reforms incessantly. Etiquette exposes human communication at both its rawest and most delicate and explores the difficulty of turning our thoughts into words we can trust.

Etiquette is presented as part of the Under the Radar festival.