Feral

See it if you like visual masterpieces. Live-film dazzles w extraordinary attn to detail. Performance art (not tradl theater). Clever and memorable.

Don't see it if you want devt of plot/character. If you're more verbal than visual, you may lose interest. Sh you watch film or crew? Visit stage after.

See it if If you want a different kind of show. Puppetry and visual effects mske for this an interesting performance. Simply set, plot but effective

Don't see it if If you want a more traditional, more professional type of playNice simple directionIf you want a big staged production, or somethingconvonl

See it if Fun to see the artists create the art with drawings, figures & props, contrasted with the video screen above. They let you on stage after!

Don't see it if You don't like cartoons for adults; you don't like 55 minute shows where you can see how everything was done from the stage afterwards.

See it if you like animation and puppetry. It starts very cute but then gets more sinister. Stay after to get a closer look at the set.

Don't see it if you're looking for a traditional play and are not interested in animation and experimental works.

See it if Is it acting? Is it theater? I don't know correct label, but I know it was an amazing hour in theater. The figures, the story, the town. GO

Don't see it if You have no imagination You do not love discovering new things You need everything spelled out clearly

See it if want to see something completely different. The expert use of technology was impressive as was the swift movements on stage.

Don't see it if you want a story you can relate to; don't like puppet shows although this is much more than a puppet show

Also I enjoyed the inventiveness and I liked going on stage afterwards to see all the tiny details - but I found the lack of a story I could relate to disappointing.

I saw this at 59E59 in May 2019.... Read more Read less

See it if You want to watch intriguing stage-craft as a team of performers use clever techniques to create a movie in real time.

Don't see it if Once the cleverness of the production value wears off, you're left with a confusing story that drags hard even at 50 minutes.

See it if you'd like to see a live animated show where how it happens is out in the open to see AND you haven't seen similar shows before.

Don't see it if you want to care about the characters, need a good/believable story, or have seen a well-done live animated show before.

Also The cast is so sweet & puts lots of well-coordinated effort in; I don't want to downplay their kindness or how difficult it is to pull off this show. But sadly, I walked away dissatisfied, even tho I agree w/ FERAL's message. Why?

1. They've puppets, but NO real puppeteering (i.e., they never bring their puppets to life, just move them around the set).

2. The story is flat. I've seen many live animated shows, most w/ bigger budgets, so it's not fair to compare on production values. But you don't need $$ to craft a story that delights, engages, or makes an audience feel.

FERAL left me un-moved, except in a few short moments (e.g., I laughed at a bouncy squirrel & felt the sadness I saw on a human actor's face when he briefly entered a scene).

They'd have done better w/ less time introducing characters, more time transitioning from an idyllic childhood to a vomit-filled dystopia.

NUFONIA MUST FALL & moments in Cameri Theater's SUDDENLY are better examples of this genre.... Read more Read less

See it if You want to get to know a group of young, experimental puppet theater makers.

Don't see it if You want to see a well thought out narrative with characters and throughlines.

See it if you like unconventional storytelling, lighthearted staging, morality plays. This sweet little piece smartly packages a universal truth.

Don't see it if you only like glossy, splashy, big shows or dislike puppetry.

Also The minimalist, black-and-white aesthetic is a brilliant choice to convey the message that sometimes progress is really regress. Depending on where you sit, the craft of the tech team becomes a bonus highlight of the show.... Read more Read less

See it if you like seeing the craft of putting together a world with paper, pens, cameras, dolls and software ...

Don't see it if you want your shows to have a satisfying narrative that carries you through from beginning to end

See it if You like innovative theater. Probably UNlike anything you have seen. Childlike at first, then becomes deeper and darker.

Don't see it if You are not open to anything but traditional theater with traditional actors. Are impatient. It starts quite slowly.

See it if You would like to see a well executed digital puppetry experience that is perfectly choreographed.

Don't see it if You don’t enjoy digital puppetry or autobiographical story telling.

See it if If you seek out innovative theater that attempts to use technology in innovative ways to dramatize stories, even if it does not succeed.

Don't see it if If you are looking for a standard plot and character development. The desire to be technically clever exceeds the ability to execute.

See it if you'd like to see something innovative about urbanization and change. Also if you like puppets.

Don't see it if You want to leave happy and don't want to cry.

See it if Witness live-action 3D paper doll cutouts manipulated w/ soundscape in a puppetry projection lab. Craft is key in this digital radiotheatre.

Don't see it if Low-impactfully tame and not feral as Joe/Dawn visit park, village butcher, casino, seaside carnival,photobooth & supercade.(5' X 7' screen)

Also Signage:"The End is Nigh/Unrest in Town Grows." Visit minute detailed set after. "You can go with your sister" is the single line of dialogue uttered.... Read more Read less

See it if Like wholly original theatrical experience w skilled artists working together 2 create "live" filmed animation w clay & cardboard. Amazing.

Don't see it if Want character dev or lotsa plot. More an exercise in visualization of an idea (w political overtones) than either a puppet show or a play

Also This is not a kid's puppet show, but a sophisticated blending of stagecraft, invention and tremendous expertise from a company that knows how to work as a cohesive ensemble.

Starts out light and then gets VERY dark, The story of a town falling into decay when a big corporate entity wipes out the local jobs is not new, but it’s fascinating to experience this presentation of that idea.

I found it glorious to watch the puppeteers "work" underneath a screen that's showing you the film that's being created. Similar to a studio booth of a TV show, the director sits onstage watching the images from 5 cameras and choosing which one is telling the story best. The audio is also live and performed onstage by another talented technical wizard who adds all the bells and whistles (literally) to the sounds he has edited thru his computer. Really quite extraordinary.... Read more Read less

See it if You are looking for a quick shot of entertainment it’s less than an hour. Bring your imagination with you.

Don't see it if You’re looking for some serious theatre.

See it if From a flat storyboard, a miniature cardboard set diorama emerges complete with clothes pin size puppets manipulated by performers.

Don't see it if Then mini cameras film in minute detail a puppet show with technical effects and sound, which is projected above the stage.

Also You have to be OK with a puppet show that lasts less than an hour and has an anemic plot.... Read more Read less

See it if you’ll watch a short movie being filmed live, w/ multiple cameras, in 1 take, on a miniature, detailed set model. It’s a multitasking feat.

Don't see it if The movie/story itself had zero impact.

Also Production: 70
A similar show was Stereoptik’s Dark Circus at HERE a few years ago. Feral isn’t as elaborate or polished but it’s still a high-wire (if small scale) combination of live foley, puppetry, and projection/camera.

Story: 40
Eye-rolling story. It’s like Reefer Madness but with casinos instead of pot.

Concentration & coordination required of the cast: 90
If the show sounds interesting to you, don’t let lukewarm reviews like mine stop you from seeing it. It’s an unusual labor of love that pulls together a lot of tools and it factors in the immediacy of backstage effort to produce an onstage drama.... Read more Read less

See it if You want to see something completely different. Puppet figures animated in full view of the audience with sound design and video projection.

Don't see it if Not traditional puppets. Not traditional anything. It's like being backstage but you are in the audience.

Also What starts as an experiment in whimsy evolves into a sad tale of urban dissolution-hence the title "feral". The journey however is fascinating. A very talented team of 5 create the world of a seaside resort and it's inhabitants, through the use of drawing, primitive figures, cut-out buildings ,very effective camera work and on-the-fly siound design. It is all projected on a screen, but just below the screen we watch the "puppeteers" move the characters, while cameras shoot the scene and the sound designer caws like a bird, chirps like a squirrel or just plays haunting ear worm of an arcade tune. There is no dialogue. It is all remarkably clever. Just be prepared when the story takes a turn.... Read more Read less

See it if Like Innovative technology and effective original staging. Fascinating to watch how done.

Don't see it if Expect a typical puppet show or traditional theater.

See it if Live shooting of 3 actors setting up cardboards with sketches on; would have recommended to kids if it wasn’t trying to sell political msgs

Don't see it if Bad storytelling is bad storytelling, no matter what form it uses; “actors” so busy with moving props that the plot is never fully developed

Also The theatre company is based in Edinburgh. If this is a Fringe show, I would have escaped after the first 10min (or less), after too many footages wasted on the “environment”: squirrel, dog, butchers shop, bar, restaurant... This form of art could have fitted kids’ theatre if it hadn’t involved political strikes or sudden death of sister (how? Murdered?)... Read more Read less

See it if you enjoy original creative innovative puppetry and animation and other amazing things.

Don't see it if 50 minutes is too short for a production.

See it if you enjoy technically inventive theatre with a heavy focus on visual narrative constructs.

Don't see it if you dislike purely visual storytelling, or alternative means of performance.

Also This piece is absolutely delightful from start to finish. The sound design is delicious, the puppet and set design is charming as hell. This is joy encapsulated in a tight 55 minute show.... Read more Read less