Testing the Echo

Testing the Echo is a stunning example of how theatre and politics can interact to create a performance that is both forceful and entertaining.

As writer David Edgar spins a web of stories about immigrants and British citizenship, director Matthew Dunstar challenges the audience to personally reflect on our social and national identities.

In many ways, this is not a play about storytelling. The narrative focuses on the complications of society: the ways in which cultures interact and clash. As eight performers absorb a myriad of roles, each character becomes a broad portrait (almost a stereotype) of his or her nationality and religion.

Performances are strong, and certainly worth recommending in themselves, but what makes this play so compelling is its sense of self-consciousness. The audience is invited to react to the action onstage. Questions, gestures, and direct addresses all include us in the scene. We are as much a part of the narrative as the characters themselves.

Music is used sparingly, but effectively. In addition, projection screens heighten the impact on certain moments and add a sense of historical sobriety to what could otherwise be melodrama.

At its best moments Testing the Echo will leave you stunned by the versatility of its performers and sincerity of its message. Edgar does a fine job in balancing frustration with political tension and humour. In the end, there is hope for human compatibility, although it may be up to the audience to find a genuine solution.