Last week we released our first episode to kickstart our new season of the podcast. It was brilliant to have Naughty Corner Productions speaking with us to share their experiences. I find with each episode we do, I learn something new. We’re very grateful to be part of such a fantastic community that has prospered throughout these restrictions. We have great guests lined up for the weeks ahead, which we hope will continue to shine a light on the fantastically talented creatives we have here in Liverpool. In the second episode, the team sit down with Joe Roberts and Bobbie-Lee Scott from Perception Theatre. 

 Perception Theatre is a company to look out for with their powerful branching stories and applied theatre that tackles social issues. Like us, they have created short films and projects to help highlight these ever-growing issues such as cyber-bullying (Unspoken) and knife crime (Mindless). Perception Theatre however, has raised the bar high with their branching stories, where the viewer has control.  The branching stories are a great way to get the audience to interact within the story, compelling and awe-inspiring. If you haven't already taken part, click here.

For some time, I've been following their journey on social media and it's great to see that not only they've released two branching stories, but they are in the middle of creating another titled: 'Shark'. Like Naughty Corner, they have their core audience established and identity. These two creatives have inspired us to look at future projects that hold a powerful message differently. I feel this is the way forward in getting the audience engaged with using branching stories rather than the traditional form. It's a great way of collecting information to analyse people's decisions throughout the experience to understand how people react if they were in that predicament. It's a powerful tool to have, and Perception Theatre has opened up the idea to myself and other creatives to follow in their footsteps. Every project they have done so far does “challenged perceptions by sparking conversations through theatre and film”. This is their core belief and why they called themselves; Perception Theatre. We can all acknowledge they've delivered this in a way that is easy and engaging.

Overall, it was a pleasure to hear Joe and Bobbie speak so passionately about their projects and plans. I'm looking forward to collaborating in the future if they are interested because I recognise that we could learn so much from these two creatives with their knowledge and experiences. I believe Perception Theatre in the next 18 months will have a lot of presence within the community with more powerful projects to come. Like I said at the beginning, this is a company to look out for and to support. They have paved a new way of connecting with our audiences, making that experience more personal and intimate. Their execution with their branching stories is flawless.  I want to thank both them for coming on our podcast and sharing their experiences and future plans.
Episode two is available this Sunday on all major platforms.

 
Words by Christopher Woodward
Images by Andrew Smith