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The Establishing Shot: The Black Diamond - Scene 1
Last Sunday I was invited along to Scene 1 of The Black Diamond presented by Stella Artois Black. On first hearing of The Black Diamond my interest was piqued. I enjoy Stella Artois’ marketing particularly their adverts that evoke nostalgia of old Europe whilst entertaining.
Lola The Black Diamond - Jaques The Black Diamond
Over the last couple of years Stella Artois has been using a noir motif to promote their Stella Artois Black brand. The imagery evoking the great cinema of the period like the works of; Godard, Melville, Powell, Pressburger, Reed and early Boorman.
The Traitor The Black Diamond - The Thief The Black Diamond
This noir theme culminated in the interactive theatre experience The Night Chauffeur last year. The Night Chauffeur was a play that used various locations in London as its stage and the audience as extras to tell the story.
The Night Chauffeur
Unfortunately by the time I saw the glossy advert in Empire magazine for The Night Chauffeur tickets were long gone.
So when I got wind of Stella Artois Black’s new interactive theater project The Black Diamond taking place in and locations in Shoreditch. I was keen to get in on the action. Then I read the small print and realised that PUNCHDRUNK were involved. And The Black Diamond was upgraded to must see.
PUNCHDRUNK are the interactive theatre troupe that inhabit locations, turn them into interactive environments and roll out plays that encourage audience participation like The Masque of Red Death at the Battersea Old Town Hall or Faust in Wapping.
Tickets sell out quickly and so far I have not been able to be involved in one of their performances. So when I was invited along to scene 1 of The Black Diamond I jumped at the opportunity. All I knew at that stage was the basic plot :
So when I got wind of Stella Artois Black’s new interactive theater project The Black Diamond taking place in and locations in Shoreditch. I was keen to get in on the action. Then I read the small print and realised that PUNCHDRUNK were involved. And The Black Diamond was upgraded to must see.
PUNCHDRUNK are the interactive theatre troupe that inhabit locations, turn them into interactive environments and roll out plays that encourage audience participation like The Masque of Red Death at the Battersea Old Town Hall or Faust in Wapping.
Tickets sell out quickly and so far I have not been able to be involved in one of their performances. So when I was invited along to scene 1 of The Black Diamond I jumped at the opportunity. All I knew at that stage was the basic plot :
"July the 4th 1963. A man is about to give his true love a diamond. Alors! The Thief! The man makes a curse. "Who ever has this diamond" he says "will be betrayed. They will be alone. And even if they sing loud enough so that the Gods hear them. The diamond will always leave them..."The character profiles spread throughout this post. And that the story of The Black Diamond would play out across a couple of weeks
I roped an associate (who is all about the line between cinema and social dynamics) in to come along and we headed off to Rue Blackhall in the heart of Shoreditch to discover the secrets of The Black Diamond.
Stella Artois presents: The Black Diamond - Scene 1 - Entrance to Jaques' Diamantre, a photo by Craig Grobler on Flickr.Stella Artois presents: The Black Diamond - Scene 1 - Arriving at Rue Blackall location of Jaques' Diamantre, a photo by Craig Grobler on Flickr. Stella Artois presents: The Black Diamond - Scene 1 - Descending to ack Diamond - Scene 1 - Monsieur Jacques Ferre's place, a photo by Craig Grobler on Flickr.
Pretty soon we were making our way down a small staircase into Jacques Ferre’s Parisian hideaway. I know it was Jacques’ place as we were given some of his business cards at the door.
Stella Artois presents: The Black Diamond - Scene 1 - Monsieur Jacques Ferre Diamantaire, a photo by Craig Grobler on Flickr.
On the back of the card Jacques had written a note to Claude saying that we were friends and asked Claude to please extend his famous hospitality to us.
We made our way around his residence, trying to spot characters or performers from the crowd as we tried to figure out what was going on. Feeling somewhere between Alain Delon and Hercule Poirot waking up in a room full of strangers. The experience prompting my associate to exclaim that we might be the only guests and everyone else was part of the show. I was unsure what was real and what was being acted out, had we actually just gate crashed someone’s party? But pretty soon we were chatting with other party goers and feeling less like interlopers.
Jacques’ Living room was now a makeshift dance floor, above the heads of the dancers a paper chain hung spelling out: “JACQUES LOVES CECILE”.
Jacques’ Living room was now a makeshift dance floor, above the heads of the dancers a paper chain hung spelling out: “JACQUES LOVES CECILE”.
Stella Artois presents: The Black Diamond - Scene 1 - In Jacques loves Cecile, a photo by Craig Grobler on Flickr.
We made our way upstairs through another dance floor full of alluring ladies. We headed to Claude to try his famous hospitality, handing over Jacques cards we were rewarded with some welcome refreshments. Outside summer had truly set in. Above the dance floor the roof was covered in floating balloons, their golden tails dancing over our heads.
Stella Artois presents: The Black Diamond - Scene 1 - Upstairs in Jacques' Diamantre - Are there clues?, a photo by Craig Grobler on Flickr.
Pretty soon the noise level in the room drops as guests come in signalling so. Cecile is lead into the room blindfolded. All sorts of questions immediately rose. How did Were we indeed the only guests?One of Cecile’s friends removes her blind fold and we are shout out: “Surprise!” the dance floor fills again as the mood elevates to celebrate.
We head back down stairs to explore Jacques apartment, the artefacts from his life and try glean what will be happening next. While I’m wandering around Jacques’s bathroom a young lady approaches me asking to check her eye, and if I see something in it. Is this staged? Should I be looking for a clue around her because I can’t see anything in her eye. The social awkwardness of the situation elevated to ridiculous levels as I’m unsure of the appropriate way to respond. Should I be giving into reckless abandon and going with the flow? What if she was a guest like me and there was genuinely something wrong with her eye?
While I was struggling with all these questions another guest steps in and I thankfully bid my new friends adieu (after a quick look around the area, for any clues I may have missed) and head back into the Living Room which is in full swing. I noticed Lola from the character pictures and decided to keep an eye on her as her role would become apparent.
We chat with each other and occasionally other guests and glean that Jacques may be giving something special to Cecile tonight, a diamond that he has been working on for six years, amongst other party talk.
Stella Artois presents: The Black Diamond - Scene 1, a photo by Craig Grobler on Flickr.
Below is a film clip of what happened next.
When the performance ended and we were making our way home in the warm sunlight. I couldn't shake the niggling notion that I had missed a clue in the bathroom earlier.
Tickets for Scene 2 of The Black Diamond are going to be released today over at www.stellaartois.com/black/
The Black Diamond - Scene 1
The Black Diamond - Scene 1
Where:
Locations across Shoreditch, London
When:
3 - 21 July, 2011
For more info,updates and to apply for tickets to experience The Black Diamond:
Head to www.stellaartoisblack.com (The Black Diamond is open to over 18’s only)
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