This Will All Be Gone performed by Frantic Assembly was a theatrical piece which featured three actors from the British theatre company who travelled to Asia to perform. Each actor played three characters that had no correlation with each other, but rather distinct storylines of relatable experiences. For example, a character named John struggled with his relationship life and decided to use Tinder, treating each date like a controlled experiment in order to find his true love. In the play, all the characters were facing a metaphorical “countdown” reflecting upon how everything in their life would ultimately be gone.

The use of light in the Frantic Assembly’s performance was truly effective: it really kept the audience focused on the characters as opposed to the other actors moving the set and props around. The focussed light with a hole in the centre served as a very tiny spotlight, going over actors as if the characters were being scanned by some kind of divine being. This reiterated the fact that the characters were not in charge of their own countdown, which added another layer of intensity and thrill to the performance.

The way that the actors brought each character to life was really well done, and the constant movement between characters was an excellent stylistic choice. The audience could easily relate to the characters as they represented average people with whom we may cross paths with everyday. The fact that everyone’s countdowns were different (and not just towards death!) was another good choice. Overall, the performance was awe inspiring and my eyes as a spectator never wandered off the stage.