Having heard vague but wonderful things about the One-on-One Festival I felt curious, excited and uncertain of what to expect as I rushed towards BAC's door.

My hurried (and slightly flustered) state was due to various transport-related dramas on the way from north to south London. As I approached, a group of youths bundled out of the front entrance with a struggling person with a brown cloth sack in tow. I later found out that this was one of the performances; anyone who sat on a chair positioned in the building marked "Don't sit on this chair unless you want to be kidnapped or have a heart condition!" were being vigorously abducted and taken to a car. I didn't quite catch what happened in the vehicle (I wasn't quite brave enough to sit on the chair) but it definitely involved beat boxing.

At this point I must confess that due to my train-lateness I missed the first of the performances on my "menu", however, the upside of this was that I got to explore the building and sample all the one-on-one extras taking place across the building before going to my first scheduled 'course'. And I had a whale of a time.

For those who don't know the premise of the festival a brief explanation: Punters choose from 'ten menus that vary from the therapeutic to the extreme' when buying tickets, these include 'mind-bending', 'dreamy', 'challenging' and 'reflective.' My menu was 'Out of Body' - a set of three courses (a 'main course' and three 'side dishes') and I quickly realised that although others might be experiencing my menu too that night we all would be doing it at different times - making each of our experiences unique. My map and schedule were examined by guides at every turn whilst I was first getting my bearings and a can I just say that the whole thing was a master stroke of programming and co-ordination - hats off to that, I've worked in production and programming and my brain hurts just thinking about it.

Wondering around the beautiful labyrinthine old building, my experiences varied from the tongue in cheek to the rowdy and the thoughtful. They included; having a badge made of my face and wearing someone else's in a bid to get my 'Faceback', writing a letter to myself in five year's time which would be thoughtfully posted to me (you could give email addresses if you didn't know where you would be living), watching joke sumo wrestling, stream-of-consciousness-style poetry writing and perhaps most memorably having a cocktail made for me in a private ornate booth by a growling Dickensian chap who read me a story! 

Tipsy from the cocktail made especially for me I went to my first experience: You Only Live Twice (But Die Once) by Kazuko Hohki... After being ushered into a tranquil Japanese bedroom and lying on the futon, a sweet and comforting voice began voice to tell me a soporific tale about a girl ninja... a story that ended with a scary visitation.  You Only Live Twice (But Die Once) is a sweet piece about dreams and reality blurring into each other.

My next experience was Observation Deck by Patrick Killoran- not for those afraid of heights! Upon entering a starkly furnished room one thing is instantly noticeable - a wooden table/deck like contraption against an open window. After receiving instructions in a low voice I laid on my back and pulled myself out of the window until my head and shoulders were fully out! At first slightly disorientating and dizzying (especially perhaps because of lasting effects of the cocktail on an empty stomach) after a couple of minutes I relaxed and admired the sky, planes passing overhead and the world in general from this unusual angle.

I rushed off to catch my train wide-eyed... and feeling like I wanted to go back!  It was a fun and slightly challenging show to go to on your own. Although I didn't once feel the need for company, there are one or two things (and the tasty looking tapas) that could be better enjoyed in twos or a group...  The One-on-One festival is a wondrous one off experience not to be missed. I just hope they do it again next year. Visit BAC website