The Heart Room Experience
"Heartwarming and welcoming experience to engage in play with strangers, a lovely opportunity to share in an increasingly isolated world." Milly Burke Cunningham
"Hosty demonstrated a number of little movements and moments that we were invited to perform on the stage. Everyone seemed eager to participate, and quickly people were throwing themselves into the performance. There was something cathartic in laughing loudly in a group of strangers and pretending to be attacked by wasps; there were a number of projectors we were welcome to use – some participants created beautiful shadow work on the walls. It was a heartwarming and welcoming experience to engage in play with strangers, a lovely opportunity to share in an increasingly isolated world.
The short production (it runs to only 40 minutes) brought a warm sense of sharing an experience of others, feeling comfortable enough in a public space to express ourselves freely, joyously. It definitely felt good for the soul, letting loose and seeing what comes out. We were forewarned that audience members would also be participants in the performance, and it seemed that people were prepared for this and threw themselves into play gladly. It would be an even more interesting experience to see how people in a different environment such as a hospital would participate and express themselves in this type of forum. It was a welcome change from sitting silently in a theatre to jump up and dance."