work.txt – clock on for a 60 minute shift, there’s no show if no one turns up to work (The MAC until Wednesday 25 October) #BIAF23

work.txt is an ensemble piece of theatre. With a difference. The audience are the ensemble. A set is built. One member will unwittingly be written into the whole evening’s dialogue and become a recurring central character. The rest of us will say a line when prompted by the words on the black backdrop: people who hate Mondays, Geminis (we’d all sat in one corner of the stalls), ushers, the stage manager, people who meet all kinds of criteria. Printed pages of lines may also be provided … and if the stage office printer breaks down, there’s a contingency plan. The work must continue. This is the gig economy. There’s no switching off, you’re always on.

Over 60 minutes – it’s quite a short shift! – you’ll learn about labour (and withdrawing it); about bosses, leaders, mindless tasks and robots; about reward and compensation; about respect (and the lack of it); about what makes work enjoyable (and what makes nice moments in an otherwise frustrating day). And you’ll get to clear your lungs and sing. It’s okay – you’ll be among friends fellow workers.

Writer Nathan Ellis and his team of dramaturgs, creatives and tech wizards have crafted a funny, somewhat self-aware, tour through a working day. One scene contrasts the skills and daily routine of a gallery attendant and the artistic curator. Totally different perspectives on what is normal. The central use of audience participation is very much in keeping with Roger Bernat’s Pending Vote which wowed in the 2013 festival.

work.txt is both whimsical and profound. Is anyone in charge? Do we have agency in our workplaces? Does attendance count as consent to participate in work (as well as theatre)? Are we trapped by our own choices? Is it about money? Or satisfaction? Or wellbeing? Well worth catching the final performance on Wednesday 25 October at 19:45 in The MAC as part of Belfast International Arts Festival. It’ll only be a play with no actors of no one turns up!

Belfast International Arts Festival continues until 5 November.

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