small hours
On Demand (IF 2022)
Performance, Film
Why do we need sleep? What happens when we go without? small hours probes the mysteries of the human circadian rhythm, the daily pattern of wakefulness and sleep, and how it can be either disrupted or adjusted. Written by Ava Wong Davis. Co-produced by IF Oxford and Oxford Playhouse with scientific advice from the University of Oxford Sleep & Circadian Neuroscience Institute. Performed by Mandala Theatre Company. Directed by Yasmin Sidhwa. Film by Ben Johnston.
small hours (feature film: 58 minutes)
The Stage “…compelling concept, and director Yasmin Sidhwa does a good job of capturing that liminal, late-night-early-morning atmosphere of existential anxiety, interspersing the action with imaginatively lit movement sequences underscored by Duotone’s moody music. Davies’ writing captures those emotions effectively, too. “You feel like you’ve crawled out of your body,” says Aisha, “and you can’t get back in.”
Exeunt Magazine: “small hours is clever and well-constructed by Ava Wong Davies, … The characters have lives and personalities that are complex and ambiguous enough to be interesting in themselves, and they can be weird in a nicely specific way… Ben Johnston’s video edit often places a square of blank black space around the filmed action and video conversations, like there’s something hidden beyond the screens, a life outside the night. …it’s not exactly the awkward Zoom energy we all know and hate, but a kind of odder, less identifiable, disconnection.”
small hours
Written by Ava Wong Davies
Directed by Yasmin Sidhwa
Performed by Mandala Theatre Company
Filmed by the cast
Edited and additional filming by Ben Johnston
Music by Duotone
Produced by Alex Lui, Dane Comerford and Laura Elliot
Co-comissioned by IF Oxford and Oxford Playhouse with scientific advice from the University of Oxford Sleep & Circadian Neuroscience Institute
Cast (Alphabetical Order of Surname):
Nush………………………….Anusha Abbas
Aisha…………………………..Akasha Daley
Solomon Salah……………..Nelvin Kiratu
Luis………………………………..Luis Ribeiro
Supported by
Presented by
