Chronic Insanity’s Descension – A Digital Theatre Experiment
Chronic Insanity’s Descension marks the inaugural production of FableMosh, the company’s new interactive digital theatre platform, offering an intriguing approach to audience engagement. The concept allows viewers to choose their own adventure by casting the actors who play each role, an innovative technique that enhances the experience of storytelling. However, rather than feeling like a visually dynamic theatrical performance, Descension leans more towards an interactive radio drama, relying heavily on audio rather than visual spectacle.
This production is strikingly static, with little physical action to captivate the audience. Given its subject matter—an exploration of what might happen if all migrants in the UK suddenly disappeared—the weight of the narrative rests on the script and performances. Descension undoubtedly tackles an emotionally charged topic, and reactions will likely vary significantly depending on the viewer’s personal experiences and perspectives.
One of the play’s central themes—the absence of migrants and the consequences of their disappearance—presents a critical exploration of immigration’s impact on the UK. However, the piece runs the risk of undermining its own message by placing disproportionate emphasis on the absence of manual laborers. While it is undeniable that certain industries would collapse without migrant workers, reducing immigration’s significance to incomplete manual jobs or care professions somewhat simplifies the broader cultural and economic contributions migrants bring. It leans on stereotypes, and personally, as a reviewer and as an immigrant, it did not exactly emphasise enough how the United Kingdom was built on the shoulders of immigration, as nearly 10% of the population has a foreign-born parent or grandparent.
That being said, Descension succeeds in its portrayal of ‘otherness.’ The ensemble of actors effectively conveys this theme, though it would have been even more impactful had at least one performer strayed from the stereotypical English accent, reinforcing the piece’s message more explicitly. The production unfolds on top of an abstract collage of audio elements, creating a thought-provoking and immersive experience. Despite its limited visual dynamism, it engages the audience with a compelling spoken-word narrative and a well-articulated, resonant conclusion…. that is actually not spoken.
As the first show in FableMosh’s six-month season, Descension sets the stage for what promises to be an ambitious digital theatre initiative. You can watch it online here: fablemosh.com. Future productions will include Joe Strickland’s comedy-horror Homunculus, a gig-theatre piece, and an absurdist nuclear-war comedy. With recordings available across multiple formats—including video, audio, and VR—the platform’s potential for innovation is exciting. While Descension is an interesting experiment, it highlights the challenges of balancing interactivity with theatrical engagement in digital storytelling. Whether this format can truly replace the immersive power of live theatre remains to be seen, but it certainly opens new avenues for exploration in the realm of digital performance.