"Violence & Son" a Fringe Theatre Experience

Each of us in the group was tasked  to see a smaller, non West-End a.k.a. "fringe" play at some point during our trip, so a few others and I decided to go to a matinee performance together. We found a theatre that was putting on fringe plays and had absolutely no clue what any of the plays were about, so we decided on seeing one called "Violence & Son." When we searched for our seats, we discovered that the theatre the play was being performed in wasn't a big proscenium like we were accustomed to, but rather an arena/theatre-in-the-round stage, which excited me because I'd never experienced theatre like that before, where the audience sits entirely around the stage. We chose our seats (which were unorthodox; they were typical lawn chairs!) and experienced the show. It ended up being one of my favorites that I've seen while on this trip, even inspiring me to purchase the script at the downstairs shop. A very dark tale about sexism, domestic abuse, rape culture and the negative imprint that parents can potentially leave on their children; it was both wildly entertaining and funny, while also delivering very scary and depressing moments that I will never forget. It was very refreshing to see a play that tackled such harsh subjects and held no punches while doing so, which I think helped it deliver the message and story it was trying to tell. The set, lighting, and sound where all very impressive as well for such a small play, and helped make the play the spectacular storytelling experience that it was. The acting was also very effective and well-done, and we even got to chat with them for a bit after the play was over. They were really down-to-earth and it was very nice to meet actors who were very humble and respectable, which is the type of actor or director that I strive to be someday. I'm very thankful that we managed to discover such a fine and exhilarating piece of theatre, one that reinforces why I love the subject so much.