Introduction

Summary

In the winter of 1995 I saw a production of Harold Pinter's Betrayal. It was to become one of a small collection of theatrical experiences that continue to haunt me years after my having witnessed them. I had driven my car across the West Pennine Moors through a blizzard to reach a small converted bowling pavilion acting as the venue for the production, offered by a small group of young enthusiasts touring the North of England. Despite the bitter cold and the snow drifts that were mounting, threatening to keep anyone who ventured out from returning home that evening, a modest collection of people gathered in that room to watch the play. Few of them knew much about Betrayal, though some remembered seeing a production of it on television. Most simply came on the strength of its author's reputation.

In many ways the extreme weather outside added to the theatrical experience. The isolation of our little hut, glowing with stage lamps that dark evening, and our huddled mass, fused together in the cold space by the silences and tensions we jointly endured, magnified our awareness that we were being introduced to a different world, one which offered another way of perceiving our own and ourselves, as insecure individuals and as beings who desire connection. As the drama closed and the house lights were raised, a silence remained over the temporary seating as eyes adjusted to meet their partner's and nod in acknowledgement at the shared experience. It was as if the emotional wind had been knocked out of many us, leaving us with nothing to say, nothing to add.

Then, amid the general hum of satisfaction and positive comments, the questions began and conversation stirred. The snow at the threshold kept a number of people from leaving immediately, the company included, and there ensued a polite discussion between the director, the actors and their public. The disruption that the play had caused in each individual began to surface in the audience's minds and find expression as people tried to categorize what they had seen and how it had made them feel.

Of course, this is a natural response. When any disturbance occurs we need to be able to satisfy ourselves that we know what provoked it, why we were affected by it and how we have adjusted to accommodate it.