"Beneath The Streets" / "As You Like It"

My most recent reviewing assignments for British Theatre Guide have both involved Hijinx, the Cardiff-based company whose remit is to create work which is inclusive of performers who have learning difficulties or hearing impairments. Their Academy students were amongst the cast of “Beneath The Streets” - a collaboration with Punchdrunk Enrichment, specialists in immersive theatre – mostly taking place beneath the shops and cafes of the Castle Arcade in central Cardiff; a spooky, surreal exploration of lostness and regret. And some members of the Academy formed part of the ensemble in a production of Shakespeare’s “As You Like It”, taking place in Thompson’s Park in Canton; not a  play with which I was intimately familiar, but enjoyable nonetheless. This was from Taking Flight, who integrate performers with and without physical disabilities in a way which makes sense narratively, without necessarily either making a big deal of or ignoring the differences. A stimulating couple of days.