Static
at Pleasance (Venue 33), Edinburgh

Peter Martin

Static is a reflection on the distance between the lives of those who live in worlds of peace and those who live in worlds of violence.

The constrasting stories of two individuals are told in parallel: a woman grieving for her husband who was killed when their village was cleansed, and a young office worker on his way home at the end of the day. As the stories unfold, the audience witnesses the two lives touching as the man catches the teatime news on his TV. A live camera crew are approaching a woman standing in front of a ditch where a dead man lies. The indifference and banality of his daily routine is interrupted by the 'highway of pain' which momentarily bridges him and the woman. TV news has allowed him to feel with the victim in an otherwise far-off place.

Actors Jon Spooner and Bridget Escolme deliver their stories engagingly and with care. However, the play suffers for having the single message that compassion should unite people across the world. In particular, TV news is held up as having a power to connect through emotion, and to expand our experience of the world by making us care. Unfortunately, we are left not knowing what we are caring for. No context is given to the dead man, or to why these people are being chased from their homes. All it leaves us with is emotion, without any clue as to what it means or what it is good for.