THE DEPARTMENT OF EVERYDAY THEATRE

regrets to announce that today's scheduled performance, POWER OUTAGE: A participatory work in one long act*will proceed as planned.

PERFORMANCE TIME: 8:30am–2:30pm

RUNNING TIME: Approximately six hours, though audience members may experience this differently.

CAST

One artist.

Two teenagers.

One fireplace.

One increasingly significant kettle.

SYNOPSIS

Set against a backdrop of relentless rain and questionable temperatures, Power Outage examines the fragile illusion that civilisation is held together by little more than Wi-Fi, hot drinks and the reassuring hum of household appliances.

The audience will witness a family navigating emotional uncertainty, battery percentages, and the sudden elevation of the fireplace from "nice feature" to "critical infrastructure."

The role of The Kettle will conclude at approximately 8:29am.

We ask that you respect its privacy.

Refreshments will be unavailable throughout the performance, which critics have described as "a bold artistic choice."

The Department would also like to acknowledge that this production has been advertised for several weeks and yet it still appears to come as a shock.

This has had no measurable impact on the emotional preparedness of the cast.

We look forward to welcoming you to what promises to be an unforgettable exploration of modern dependence.

Or at the very least...

...a very cold Tuesday.

____________

Reviews of power outage.

Today's Experience: Scheduled Power Outage

Genre: Domestic suspense.

Runtime: Six hours.

Audience participation: Mandatory.

Props: One fireplace, several blankets, two teenagers, a fully charged phone at 97% that everyone agrees not to touch "unless it's an emergency."

Themes: Dependence. Hope. Water. The fragility of civilisation.

Interval refreshments: Available until 8:29 am only.

★★★★☆

Early scenes are slow, but tension builds beautifully as the household begins stockpiling boiled water for reasons nobody can adequately explain.