World Factory
Young Vic Theatre, London SE1
5/5

CHINESE garment factories might seem a world away from modern Britain.

But, as this production tellingly demonstrates, in a globalised world of consumer capitalism they are inextricably connected.

World Factory skilfully threads those connections together by placing its audience in control of one such factory in Shanghai, using a Monopoly-style game to create an interdisciplinary, tailor-made theatrical experience unlike any other.

Zoe Svendsen and Simon Daw’s show for METIS Arts was created in direct response to the collapse of the Rana Plaza garment factory in Bangladesh in which over 1,100 workers perished.

It forces audiences to come to grips with the grim daily realities of mass consumption at the manufacturers’ end.

We are also reminded —with reference to Friedrich Engels — that less than two centuries ago the global hub of the textile industry was the city of Manchester, which also witnessed countless personal workplace tragedies.

The aim of the production’s ingenious game is to achieve survival as a team of factory mangers, requiring participants to make cut-throat decisions that will inevitably have dire consequences, whichever option is chosen.

Despite audience members’ relative superiority within the factory, it quickly becomes clear that they are ultimately in a compromised position within a superstructure that has no interest in managers’ survival but purely in the profit margin.

The intricate level of detail of every aspect of the production is quite startling.

Switching from video interviews with factory workers to verbatim fragments of political speeches from the likes of Deng Xiaoping, the production maintains a seamless level of efficiency that even the most ruthless factory owner would be proud of.

A slick cast of four — Lucy Ellinson, Naomi Christie, Heather Lai and Jamie Martin — ruthlessly drive proceedings as they energetically weave the show together.

Having taken over two years to craft, this comprehensively researched show has clearly been a labour of love for its creators and that’s evident in every second of this stylish, enlightening experience.

Highly recommended.

Runs until June 6, box office: youngvic.org