Work.txt review: This actorless show turns its put-upon audience into the cast

Work.txt

Project Arts Centre

★★★☆☆

On the stage as Work.txt begins are a pile of yellow Jenga blocks, two microphone stands and a printer. There are no people, as this show has no actors.

It opens with the usual Dublin Fringe Festival notice: welcome to the show, please take note of emergency exits and switch off mobile phones. Meanwhile, words are projected on to the wall of the theatre telling the audience to ignore the instructions and to leave their phones on. This sets the tone for the show, with the projection acting as a sort of all-seeing eye.

Work.txt is performed entirely by the audience, who must read aloud the projected words and do what is asked. At one point everyone is up on stage, building a mini city out of the blocks. At another, only those who are Geminis read aloud. The stage manager and an usher even get involved. Volunteers come forward and read scripts that are printed on the spot or repeat what is said to them through headphones. Everyone sings Celine Dion’s My Heart Will Go On.

This cleverly put-together show creates a sense of community and camaraderie by uniting people who feel they are not paid enough or who feel their parents are disappointed with their line of work. Centred around modern working life, the storyline, though distant at times (such as during a karaoke segment), highlights the harsh reality of being a cog in a machine, of not feeling able to take a short break to chat to colleagues and of escaping temporarily to go on holiday.