When this is over…things will have changed forever,” Ian McKellen told me near the start of “An Ark,” staring directly at me.
I didn’t roll my eyes. At first that was only because my eyes were locked into special glasses that enabled me to view a three-dimensional projection of Sir Ian, sitting next to three other cast members, none of whom were actually, physically at The Shed for what’s being billed as “the first play created for mixed reality.”
I avidly attend experiments in storytelling, whatever they’re called (immersive, interactive, digital, VR, AR, MR, “living stories”), so I’m aware that such storytellers tend to be adventurous and inventive — and also, often, greatly impressed with their own accomplishments. With hype being an occupational hazard, I initially figured that’s what was going on with an exchange of dialogue among the four actors.
“You’ll want to tell people about the things that have happened to you in here,” Golda Rosheuvel said after Sir Ian’s proclamation about being changed forever, sitting next to him and also staring intently into my eyes as she spoke.
“And the things that happened to you,” Sir Ian added.
“All the things that have ever happened to you,” Arinzé Kene said
“They matter,” Rosheuvel said, as if finishing his sentence.
“Do they?” Rosie Sheehy asked.
“They do,” Rosheuvel doubled down.
And suddenly I realized they were talking about….life.
In 47 minutes, “An Ark” spans the arc (ark?) of human life, from birth to death, with a script by acclaimed British playwright Simon Stephens (Tony-winner for“ The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time” and recent Off-Broadway adaptor of “Vanya.” ) Neither Simons’ lyricism nor producer Todd Eckert’s pioneering mixed reality will work for everybody. The experiment might not wholly satisfy anybody, but it’s too intriguing and artful for me to dismiss.
Rosie Sheehy, Arinzé Kene, Ian McKellen, and Golda Rosheuvel in rehearsal in front of a camera (which is the viewpoint of the audience members.) They are dressed exactly as we see them (notice the bare feet.)
The experience is meant to be intimate yet communal. (Both are arguably reasons why we are asked to take off our shoes: Where else are we shoeless but in intimate environments? And we store our shoes in individual slots in a communal box.)The technology, however, is not there yet in achieving this. Yes, McKellen et al do look like they are sitting right in front of you, and looking straight at you as they talk to you. But was too artificial to feel intimate. If somebody is staring at you close up, you are likely to react to them in some way, and your reaction will prompt some kind of response in kind – even if just a subtle nod in the head or just a look in the eyes registering an acknowledgement. This of course doesn’t happen in “An Ark.” (“Marjorie Prime” which is currently being presented with live people on Broadway pretending to be holograms, might well have been a good play for a Mixed Reality treatment)
It’s not the technology that can keep us at a distance despite efforts to do just the oppositve. Many of the sentences are phrased in the second person – addressing “you” – but it was never clear to me whether the “you” meant me, or each of the actors talking about themselves, or general humanity. And, while there are occasionally scenes or stories that the actors relate individually or collectively, I was rarely sure what was going on. Here is an excerpt (using the “names” that are in the script)
B: You kneel before her
A: She says
B: Yes
D: He’s crying
B: You don’t tell her not to cry. Why do people tell each other not to cry. If we have anything of any value, it’s the way we can cry.
What’s happening here? Why is “he” crying, but you don’t tell “her” not to? Are there two similar stories happening simultaneously?
On the other hand, this passage made me stop and think: Is that observation about crying valid?
Much of the strength of “An Ark” is in moments that mark the stages of life, scripted by Stephens and delivered persuasively by a quartet of actors who aren’t even there
Birth (“There is part of you that still remembers the shock”/ “The first blast of air in an open lung.”), Early childhood (“The bubble of blood on your knee as you fall on hard concrete”)
Adolescence (“Your body doesn’t look like other boys.”/”Your body doesn’t look like other girls.”)
Early adulthood (“You travel abroad for the first time without your parents.”)
Middle age (“You and your wife agree to spend less time looking at your phone and more time reading books.”)
Old age (“You’re on a first-name basis with your pharmacist”)
And beyond.
“We lose everything. At the last moment everything you ever had you will lose. But despite knowing this, knowing all this, you still have somehow largely managed to live with kindness and curiosity and somehow managed to live with love.”
An Ark
The Shed through March 1
Running time: 47 minutes
Tickets: $45
Starring Ian McKellen, Golda Rosheuvel, Arinzé Kene, and Rosie Sheehy
Written by Simon Stephens
Directed by Sarah Frankcom
Conceived and Produced by Todd Eckert
the audience for “An Ark” at The Shed
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