Pin Drop

‘Pin Drop’ is a production that could easily put the most hardened cynic on edge. Creator and performer Tamara Saulwick has put together a one woman performance piece that explores the notion of the sensation of threat, real or imagined, and how fear plays out in our minds and bodies. A conglomeration of recorded interviews, characterisation, choreographed movement, ‘Pin Drop’ is a piece that seeks to dredge up the physical memory of what it is to be frightened and, through unexpected and eerie lighting and sound effects, recreates those moments of uncertainty and apprehension for the audience.

 

Throughout the performance, the audience were presented with snippets of recorded interviews of stories from real women who have experienced a threat of some kind. This included a woman dealing with an intruder in her home, a woman broke and stranded overseas, and a woman who receives sexually threatening phone calls. Saulwick herself phyicalised the stories of these women onstage, cleverly echoing their words and recreating their stories through movement. Her ability to mimic the intonation of the women, who are clearly diverse in age and experience, was quite impressive. In some cases, she used her body to tell the story – and to great effect. Saulwick has a knack for creepy physicality  and this, combined with smoke and lighting effects, meant that she was truly able to transform herself onstage many times over.

 

‘Pin Drop’, as Saulwick outlines in her production notes, is not about the actual threat or violence itself, but rather the physical sensation it creates within us. As such, the piece is fraught with tension throughout; mostly due to the use of lighting and sound. The use of surround sound was quite incredible. The layered echo of voices and of sounds that Saulwick created using microphone delay was unnerving; not because the sounds were necessarily scary as such, but more because one never knew which direction they would come from next. The use of lighting and smoke was perhaps the show’s greatest attribute. Frequently, the audience was plunged into darkness – and not simply a traditional ‘blackout’, where some movements can be made out on stage. The darkness was absolute, and was punctuated by either flashes of light that created frightening tableaus, or very slight spotlights of drifting smoke, that eerily highlighted a face or limb. So often, the audience had to really focus on what they were seeing, as we would do if faced with an apparition we weren’t sure was there.

 

The tension created in this piece certainly heightened the audience’s experience. The audience participated, but not in the traditional sense; it was all in the mind. No doubt the darkness and the sound effects conjured up different experiences and reflections in each audience member. However, as the piece was centered firmly around the experiences of women, and it was clear that some of the male audience members couldn’t or wouldn’t connect with Saulwick’s performance as much.

 

‘Pin Drop’ is a sensory experience as opposed to a traditional theatrical narrative, and will not be the kind of production that is universally enjoyed. However, for the audience members who attended opening night, it unearthed a myriad of stories and experiences in the foyer afterwards. The performance may not be universally appreciated, but the experience of fear certainly is.