The cutting-edge British theatre-makers take aim at our modern obsession with our mobile devices.

It’s an ever more familiar sight in our technology-addicted modern world: a person locked in a zombified, myopic stare with their mobile phone. Most people agree that this obsession with the hyperlinked virtual universe is no good thing, and yet the vast majority of us (myself included) probably spend more time than we’d like to admit gawping at a screen.

For British theatre company, 1927, it’s a social faux pas worthy of roasting. “It’s something that’s almost impossible to get away from these days,” designer, performer and founding member of 1927, Esme Appleton, observes. “You might be out with a group of friends and someone will say, “Oh sorry, I’m going to have to look at this.” It’s almost like they’re saying, “sorry, my phone is more interesting than the real world.” It’s like we’ve lost a part of ourselves: our ability to be alone or in a quiet, peaceful place.”

Tackling this very contemporary phenomenon requires a very contemporary brand of theatre and 1927 have spent the past ten years proudly railing against the boundaries of traditional performance. With...