With his company RETZ, Felix Mortimer has created an adaptation of Kafka's seminal story The Trial as an immersive one-on-one production taking place in two parts at two separate locations across East London’s nooks and crannies. As the audience you'll follow Joseph K through this immersive, large-scale, interactive story as he comes to terms with his mysterious arrest. Here we ask Felix about the production, how notions of identity manifest through out, how his work relates to the the current affairs and issues of our real world - and the risk of making the audience the protagonist. RETZ's The Trial, now, until 27 April 2013, starting at Shoreditch Town Hall.

Run-Riot: Julian Assange is quoted for saying "The internet is the greatest spying machine the world has ever seen". This chimes with the theme of 'identity' that runs through The Trial. On top of that, it couldn't be more topical with the arrival of Raytheon's 'Google for spies' software - launched in Feb. How is 'identity' addressed in The Trial?
Felix Mortimer: Identity is the central theme of The Trial, Joseph K. [the main character] spends his entire time lacking ego, unable to crave his own path and swept aside by malignant forces. Today, it is especially important to have an idea of your own identity when we are forced to define and redefine ourselves at every juncture.

Run-Riot: Why in two parts, at two separate locations?
Felix Mortimer: Throughout Kafka's The Trial, Joseph goes home, goes to work - always with the impending threat of trial hanging over him. We thought we could replicate that feeling of unease for our audience members by splitting the narrative in two. We have worked episodically previously and find that this helps people ruminate and think over what might happen to characters next, instead of being given an insight into a world but never revisit.

Run-Riot: What are the risks of making the audience the protagonist?
Felix Mortimer: When you are the main character of a story, you run it. Our main problem is making sure that we can anticipate all of people's responses and feelings about our story and where they might want to take it.

Run-Riot: How has the work been created?
Felix Mortimer: We spent a long time working on the concept, and went through draft upon draft of the script never quite being happy. We ran away to the countryside and sat by roaring fires trying to get to the nub of Kafka's story. Eventually we put together a team including our dramaturg Alex Crampton, audio designer Max Dovey and production designer Verity Quinn who were able to interrogate the ideas and produce something watertight.

Run-Riot: The production presents us with one-on-one encounters - to what extent do the audience need to engage?
Felix Mortimer: Our aim is to replicate scenarios as much like real life as possible. The work is one-on-one, so you are never with any other audience members, you are alone (there is no chance you will be humiliated). We want people to respond to characters and events with their real brains rather than their cultural ones. Too often I have sat in the theatre or cinema comparing and analysing instead of allowing the story to touch my real life.

Run-Riot: Kafka isn't known for his comedy - but we have to ask, will there be any laughs?
Felix Mortimer: We aren't trying to bring Kafka out in all his depressing glory - we are really excited by his surreal tone and anarchic sensibility and definitely didn't want to overwhelm people!

Run-Riot: If The Trial were to warn us of the negative aspects of our own real world - what might they be, and what can we do to remedy them?
Felix Mortimer: We live in a world where information is power, revolutions sparked by tweets and governments bought down by leaks. The Trial questions this information we give out all day everyday and how it can be used against us. In the 21st Century we are all defined against the information we put out into the world, we need to be able to defend ourselves against it and those who might be able abuse it.

Run-Riot: What would you like the audience to walk away with having seen Part 1 of The Trial? And equally - having seen Part 2?
Felix Mortimer: After part 1, our audience have an appointment with our sinister government department, they will understand its potential power and the responsibility they have to upturn it.

After part 2, they will understand that as Kafka said 'With every new revolution comes the slime of a new bureaucracy' and it is up to them to define themselves against these systems we live in instead of be complicit with them or subsumed by them.

Run-Riot: Any last words of advise to those who'll be attending?
Felix Mortimer: Be prepared.

RETZ official site retz.co.uk

RETZ's The Trial
until 27 April 2013
Starting at Shoreditch Town Hall
For more info and to book tickets call or visit (c/o Barbican) barbican.org.uk

RETZ are Felix Mortimer, Daisy Cooper and Joshua Nawras. Felix was awarded Sky Arts Futures Fund, The Trial is the culmination of the fund’s year worth of funding and support. The piece was developed in collaboration with the Barbican and Guildhall through the PitLab programme. The Trial is supported by Sky Arts, IdeasTap, The Mill Co Project, Shoreditch Town Hall and the Arts Council England.