Transmission: pretty, but too abstract

*Transmission* is an hour-long exploration of human disappearance relayed through the story of a brother and sister. While travelling abroad, the sister simply vanishes, leaving her brother to cope with an irresolvable loss. It is probable that she has been abducted and tortured, but there is no way to confirm her fate. The narrative is non-linear, and unfolds through text, movement, and the occasionally blistering use of music and lights.

This co-production between Chrysalis Theatre and "Proximity Arts":http://proximityarts.com/ is held together by the connection of the brother (David Bloom) and his sister (Deanna Peters). Although the two performers never physically touch, their connection is reflected in their use of mirroring movements. Their intimacy is also conveyed when they share their childhood stories, as they frequently overlap and interrupt each other in a very familial fashion. Peters’ beautiful use of movement and her sense of vulnerability make her believable as the tough, chaotic sibling. Bloom’s quiet internalism reveals the destructive wake of loss without resolution.

Although *Transmission* is well conceived and smartly executed, I did not connect fully with this work. Because all the action is rooted in the past, the present lacks a fundamental dramatic tension. The isolation of the characters, while relevant to the theme of disappearance, is unrelenting and makes their relationship feel abstract. The beautiful poetry of the text is not grounded in any meaningful context or action. All the talk was just that…talk. The siblings had shared an abusive childhood, which really just made the piece almost unremittingly dark.

The set is clever, with practical microphones set into the walls and functional clock radios hanging from the ceiling. These devices convey the theme of transmission through time, whether it’s the transmission of the human voice or of radio waves. These details also contextualize the sister’s memory as the ghost of her previous “transmissions.”

There is a lot of abstract potential in the work: transmission of our past - and its abuses - into the present; transmission of emotion, and transmission of memory. However, these themes seem mostly academic. Perhaps the empty-handed feeling of the story is appropriate, given the uncertainty of the sister’s fate. However, the story would have be better served if it grounded the audience in a stronger, emotional foundation. As it is, the heart of the piece is not compelling enough to leave me with anything more than abstract appreciation.

_Transmission written by Tanya Marquardt; Co-directed by Tanya Marquardt and Heidi Taylor; Co-created and performed by David Bloom and Deanna Peters; Co-presented by Chrysalis Theatre and Proximity Arts. For more information transmit yourself_ "here":http://proximityarts.com/