Theatr Clwyd have been continually providing a variety of online theatre at this time where we cannot physically get into venues for live performances (visit the Theatr Clwyd website to see what they have coming up). One such offering is their Secret Stream series, presenting live readings of plays. These readings are not only a great opportunity for audiences to continue enjoying live performance, but also actively aim to provide employment for freelancers in the arts industry, many of whom have lost the vast majority of their work during the pandemic.
For Once by Tim Price, performed on 11 February, is the fifth Secret Stream from Theatr Clwyd. An intimate three-hander packed with monologues, this play certainly has plenty of the elements that mean it lends itself to being read over Zoom. However, the jumping around the timeline without the visual prompts that full staging would provide make it a little difficult sometimes to realise immediately if the action is in the past or the present. The break in focus that this causes the viewer is possibly why the play feels all of its length.
In a story of loss, secrets, and family dynamics, the action focusses on teenage son, Sid (Daf Thomas), mother, April (Michelle McTernan), and father, Gordon (Sule Rimi). With very little rehearsal, under the direction of Francesca Goodridge the cast produce some wonderfully moving moments of both grief and joy from a script that beautifully explores the different ways that people respond to bereavement.
Performing over Zoom is rarely without its issues, and occasional rustling off camera results in a dip in sound for the person speaking. But this also serves as a reminder that the performance is completely live with no option to adjust the sound and re-take, and that in itself is rather exciting when so much online theatre is currently pre-recorded. It is a joy to experience truly live theatre and I hope to enjoy more Secret Streams in the future.
