When was the last time you changed your mind? Really changed your mind? Some time ago, suggests Chris Thorpe. His explosive one-man piece toys with the theory of confirmation bias: the idea that we use challenging opinions to ‘confirm’ what we already believe.
Thorpe is a liberal. So am I. So are most of tonight’s North Wall audience (one presumes). When Thorpe goes in search of white supremacists, therefore, the battle lines seem clear cut. We all expect Thorpe to meet union-jack clad Brits every bit the bigot. Yet the more Thorpe interviews these specimens – in particular, a proud ‘National Socialist’ named Glenn – the more he realises he shares much in common with the ‘enemy’. Glenn voices many despicable views, but also many that are palatable and inspire sympathy. What is Glenn’s biggest regret? That his wife died young and he did not spend enough time telling her how much he loved her.
Who can’t relate?
Who is unmoved by that?
But ‘leftie meets right-winger and finds right-winger not so bad’ would be a crude simplification of Confirmation. This is partly the result of Thorpe’s style. He is no limp southern softie, but a burly northerner whose presence can feel genuinely intimidating. He plays all the parts: himself and the angry National Socialists he interviewed. The piece is cerebral yet leaves you thinking long after it is over. Little wonder it scooped a Fringe First award in 2014.
Incorporating physics or psychology seems to be something of a theatre micro-trend. Like Nick Payne’s recent hits, Constellations (unsurpassable) and Incognito (ambitious yet flawed), Confirmation includes a ‘science bit’. Thorpe explains confirmation theory clearly but this section does feel shoehorned and at times the concept threatens to overshadow the performance itself. The ethnography behind this project is fascinating, yet merits more explanation.
The small cosy North Wall theatre is an ideal setting for this production, half-play half-TED talk. It is not a comfortable watch but makes the audience think. And this, ultimately, is the point.