How To Fall Flat On Your Face – Project Arts Centre – Review
by M. Quinn

Theatre / 07-18 November 2023
Photo by Colin Shanahan

The action takes place in an A&E waiting room somewhere in London. We meet Anna (Katie Honan) while she is waiting to be seen by a doctor.  Her face is bruised and bloodied and her nose is broken. Anna starts to look back at her life and think about the events that brought her to this point. She tells us of Conor, her boyfriend. They have been together for five years. They met in Waterford and quickly fell in love, moving in together. From this ideal start, cracks start to show in their relationship with the arrival of Sandra from Dublin, a gym manager who works with Conor. Anna starts to fear that they might be more than just good friends.

The stage of the Cube in the Project Arts Centre is made to look like a hospital space, with screens and simple, utilitarian seating. One unusual feature is that the audience is allowed to sit at the side of the stage as if they are waiting to be seen in the A&E. There are some nice touches, with the announcements before the start of the production made to sound like typical announcements in a hospital.

The story gives the audience a drip feed of information, as we slowly realise the events that brought Anna to this point. The plot is relatively straightforward, but the movement between the present day in A&E and the past adds complexity. Some characters like Anna’s granny are impressively developed, as the old woman adds humour and insight but surprisingly, the character of Conor seems less well developed. It is hard to see why Anna is so enamoured with him. The production is a vehicle for Honan to show her skill as an actor, and she does well jumping between the various characters in Anna’s life. It is an impressive performance that gives the audience an insight into Anna’s world.

Photo by Colin Shanahan – DigiCol Photography (c) 2022 – http://www.digicolphotography.com

Team credits:
Writer & Performer — Katie Honan
Director — Luke Kernaghan
Movement Director — Rachel Ní Bhraonáin
Set/Costume Design — Deirdre Dwyer
Sound Design — Jamie Beamish
Lighting Design — Eoin Byrne
Dramaturg — Laura Honan
Production Management — EveryEvent
Stage Manager — Jennifer Aust
Chief LX — Simon Burke
Poster Design — Chris Dunne
Producer — Lisa Nally

Show Information: https://projectartscentre.ie/event/how-to-fall-flat-on-your-face/
Location Project Arts Centre, Cube