The extension of our Memory Points show at The South Bank Centre was arguably the most significant project Platform 4 has ever completed. It commemorated a historic moment in time, becoming the last piece to be staged in the Festival Wing before its closure for refurbishment. The Festival Wing was opened in the 1960's and the finale of our promenade piece took place on The Purcell Room stage. We were the last artists to perform on this stage following in the footsteps of a who who's of artists that have performed here, sat in the dressing rooms, waited in the Green Room and walked down these corridors, since it was opened by the queen in 1967.
The first slideshow shows how our piece (without theatrical lighting in the main) was installed into the back stage areas - it shows all these spaces with the added addition of our bits and bobs giving the building a last send off. It also shows some of the musicians and performers (some selfies) rehearsing and waiting for their audiences to arrive - we all felt incredibly privileged to be the last performers in these empty closed spaces.
This time, as opposed to the first time we visited, the piece started at the Royal Festival Hall and then the audience was taken over by our lovely host Kate, to the Festival Wing to start the show. The photos by Dominic Old (www.dominicold.com) document our show in these historic spaces. (apart from the sneeky shots the performers took!)
Dominic also documented other spaces in the building whilst it was closed, technical boxes, empty offices, the inside of the QEH theatre, foyets with old signage, the grand loos - observing them as they entered into a weird liminal state, before the builders arrived.
We hope you like them!
