TheatreState

TheatreState presents:
Tribute Acts

A show about false memories, father figures and the failure of the left wing

In the wake of Labour’s defeat in the General Election, Cheryl and Tess looked to their fathers. Both dads are active socialists; they are vocal about equality and fighting for a better life for all. But both men have struggled with how to be a father to young women. After years of absence and miscommunication, Cheryl and Tess decided to ask them everything. And film it.

In Tribute Acts Cheryl and Tess dream of simpler times when their Dads were in charge and politicians were like rockstars. Deciding to make a tribute act, they attempt to resurrect their forgotten heroes. But when faced with videos of their fathers, their music doesn’t match up. Tribute Acts asks whether our remembered pasts are, in fact, a fiction.

Inspired by science fiction films and old dreams of the future that never happened. Cheryl and Tess drift alone in space, their fathers’ messages beaming through to the stage like garbled holograms from another time.

‘A wicked, morbid satire on stereotypes’ Three Weeks ****

Tribute Acts is a darkly comic, strikingly honest show. At its heart is frank video footage of Tess and Cheryl’s fathers talking about their daughters and their lives, their feelings and views. The performers interact with their on screen fathers in an attempt to close the void. Wicked and fun yet simultaneously thoughtful, tragic and poignant.