“Everything By My Side”

Reviewer: Dawn Teo
Performance: 12 August 2016

When one thinks of a theatre performance, you see a stage. Actors performing under stage lights while audience members sit in the dark and be silent observers most of the time.

But for Everything By My Side, this production brings theatre into a much more intimate setting – the bed.

Directed and helmed by Argentine artist Fernando Rubio, this miniature play of 15-minutes is a brief encounter between one of actor ten and an individual audience member. Lying side by side on a bed draped in white within the National Gallery of Singapore, the actor proceed to share a story. With both actor and audience placed in the middle of the museum and equally exposed, it is an intimate experience of giving and listening.

As I climb into bed and tuck myself within the sheets, all my senses are aroused. The rhythm of both our breathing and the movement of bed sheets become the main melody underpinning the story. I catch sight of every movement – the actor’ slow blinking, staring into space, every pore and every curve of her hands move. It is fascinating to notice all the little details we miss in everyday life.

The most beautiful moment is when eye contact is made, and both of us smile at the same time. The actor gauges how comfortable and receptive the audience member is before initiating physical contact. For me, the touch is a powerful connection because it seals the little moment in time both individuals shared together.

Everything By My Side is a performance that is personal because every audience member enters it from their own points of view. It is intensely unique and this is this performance’s beauty.