Part of The Truth to Power Project
The global economy is a mess. The crash has landed, the tide’s swept out, and it’s taken our hope with it. There’s less in our pockets and more to be spent. The rich have got richer, the middle’s squeezed tight, and the poor are being dragged ever downwards.
There’s a shadow coming, across the sea. Long and terrifying. The vultures are circling, the wolves are howling… how can we weather this storm?
With the true value of money and the human cost of greed firmly in their sights, Proto-type Theater tell the story of how a nation raised their voices in protest and railed against the currents.
Using original text, performance, film, music and animation, THE AUDIT is about finding strength, overcoming a world designed to keep us docile, and how collective power can move a mountain – even if only a little.
THE AUDIT is Proto-type’s second theatrical work examining contemporary politics, following A Machine they’re Secretly Building, a “smartly intelligent hour-long whizz through the world of surveillance” (Lyn Gardner, The Guardian).
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PRAISE FOR #TheAudit
“They are not holding back in the slightest. They are out to expose: inequality, corruption, injustice, greed, borrowing, dishonesty, market manipulation, insider trading, fraud, tax evasion, and the frustration, anxiety, and uncertainty of the public. They can and they will name and shame.” –
– The Reviews Hub
“The brilliance of Proto-type’s approach is to engage, inform and entertain… they exude warmth and wit. The clarity and insight here allows for the telling of a modern horror story of greed that resonates with age old folk stories that we should not forget.”
– Live Art Alive
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PRAISE FOR THE COMPANY
**** “The kind of theatre that seeps into the sub-conscious.”
– The List
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**** “This is coolly reasoned theatre, produced by Proto-type Theater with stylish aplomb.”
– Lyn Gardner, The Guardian
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www.proto-type.org | #TheAudit
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Tour Dates
2019
THUR 14 NOV – THE SPRING, HAVANT – ‘THE TRUTH IS COMING AND IT CANNOT BE STOPPED’ This is a special one-night double-bill with companion show A MACHINE THEY’RE SECRETLY BUILDING
WED 24 APRIL – YORK THEATRE ROYAL
THUR 25 APRIL – THEATRE IN THE MILL, BRADFORD
WED 22 MAY – THE CRUCIBLE, SHEFFIELD THEATRES
FRI 24 MAY – THE CIVIC, BARNSLEY
2018
AUTUMN/WINTER
SAT 25 AUG – GREENBELT FESTIVAL, BOUGHTON HOUSE, NORTHAMPTONSHIRE
TUE 4 SEPT – HARROGATE THEATRE
THURS 6 SEPT – CARRIAGEWORKS THEATRE, LEEDS – This is a double bill with companion show A MACHINE THEY’RE SECRETLY BUILDING on Wed 5th
MON 10 SEPT – NUFFIELD THEATRE (NST CITY), SOUTHAMPTON – Part of The Bungalow Cafe Festival
FRI 19 OCT – FALMOUTH, AMATA
WED 24 OCT – CAMBRIDGE JUNCTION
THUR 26 OCT – CURVE, LEICESTER
TUE 6 NOV – AXIS ARTS CENTRE, CREWE
SPRING/SUMMER
TUE 27 FEB – NUFFIELD THEATRE, LANCASTER ARTS – UK Premiere
WED 28 FEB – THE LOWRY, SALFORD – Part of WTF Wednesday, in association with Word of Warning
SAT 10 MAR – ARTSDEPOT, NORTH FINCHLEY
SUN 11 MAR – THE HUB, LEEDS – This performance is priced on a Pay What You Decide basis, click here to find out more
TUE 13 MAR – LINCOLN PERFORMING ARTS CENTRE
WED 14 & THUR 15 MAR – OXFORD PLAYHOUSE
WED 21 MAR – NORWICH ARTS CENTRE, NORWICH
FRI 8 JUNE – PULSE FESTIVAL 2018, NEW WOLSEY, IPSWICH
TUE 10 JULY – ARC, STOCKTON – This performance is priced on a Pay What You Decide basis, click here to find out more – BSL interpreted performance
Credits
Written and directed by Andrew Westerside
Devised and performed by Rachel Baynton and Gillian Lees
Digital design and artwork by Adam York Gregory
Original music and sound design by Paul J. Rogers
Translation | Gudrun Soley Sigurdardottir
Stage Management | Danny Ridealgh and Emily Cartwright
Production Assistant | Olwen Davies
Producer | Gillian Lees
Marketing & Comms | Rachel Baynton
PR | spf communications
The Audit (or Iceland, a modern myth) was commissioned by Lincoln Performing Arts Centre, ARC (Stockton), Oxford Playhouse, Lancaster Arts at Lancaster University, hAb/Word of Warning (Manchester) and artsdepot (London).
Supported by Tramway (Glasgow), Curve (Leicester) and Arts Council England.
The Audit premiered in Spring 2018, and toured throughout 2019
Response
“They are not holding back in the slightest. They are out to expose: inequality, corruption, injustice, greed, borrowing, dishonesty, market manipulation, insider trading, fraud, tax evasion, and the frustration, anxiety, and uncertainty of the public. They can and they will name and shame.”
“The script utilises the device of dark humour and irony in an effectively sharp and witty manner. The spoken word sections are intelligent, creative, and beautifully written.”
“Rachel Baynton and Gillian Lees are excellently in sync with one another, as they flick the pages of speech and deliver the next quantity of information from their lecterns. Their performances are subtly and suitably sinister.”
– The Reviews Hub
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“The Audit is a razor sharp analysis of the 2008 global financial crisis… A heartfelt and thought-provoking plea to wake up and look at what is going on around us. An invitation to react and respond rather than just remain ignorant and accepting.“
“Rachel Baynton and Gillian Lees are a great combination and perfect foil for each other.”
“The performance includes original writing that contains some beautiful spoken word and deftly, measured performance, blended with emotive new music and film.”
“The brilliance of Proto-type’s approach is to engage, inform and entertain… they exude warmth and wit. The clarity and insight here allows for the telling of a modern horror story of greed that resonates with age old folk stories that we should not forget.”
– Live Art Alive
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“We were always told that the crash was our fault… The Audit interrogates this widely accepted narrative, flips it on its head.”
– The Norwich Radical
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AUDIENCE RESPONSES
“Incisive, challenging, seething with a quiet rage. If you feel you need some fire in your belly, go.”
“Stormy weather. @Proto_type deliver an excellent follow up to #AMachineTheyreSecretlyBuilding. Chilling, clever and always fascinating #TheAudit is a definite Go see!”
“#TheAudit is a fantastic piece of work from @Proto_type – still musing over it this morning (and despairing)!”
“Jesus Christ that was good. #theaudit by @Proto_type Theater”
“What a fantastic insightful, intelligent and proactive performance as always. A call to stand up for what you believe in.”
“#TheAudit is a despairing look at an unfinished story, an impassioned plea for the future, and a lesson in performance! #letschangethegame”
“Dear @OwenJones84, I strongly recommend that you go watch #TheAudit by @Proto_type. It’s such a strong piece on the impacts of neo-liberism on our lives, a call out for us to react and don’t allow them to fool us again. #contemporarytheatre #resistance #fightforyourrights”
“Just watched #TheAudit by @Proto_type and it was flippin ace, I feel terrified/invigorated.“
“Thanks for explaining the rules of the game last night @Proto_type I left feeling motivated and eager to find some pots and pans #TheAudit”
“Well… we are on our way home feeling angry, frustrated, emancipated and full of knowledge. Knowledge is key when you’re looking for a new loop hole.”
“The Audit by @Proto_type guaranteed to make you reconsider your place in the world”
“#TheAudit by @Proto_type was great, as their stuff always is. Amazing how effectively you can tell a story with just a few props“
“Oh F*@k, The Audit by @Proto_type was brilliant. Feel proper invigorating and I want to headbutt a bank.”
Resources
Writing about the piece can be found here.
Press and comments are available here.