We May Have To Choose by Emma Hall and Prue Clark is a 45 minute monologue that stridently and unsparingly asserts both factual and subjective truths. The honesty of this work is unsettling but valuable. Hall shares thoughts that are rarely spoken but undeniably familiar. This is a refreshingly experimental performance that forces the audience to establish their opinions in the face of an ominous knowledge that belief will decide our futures.

Performer Emma Hall establishes a contract with the audience to substitute the social contract the show breaks: only she is allowed to speak. The truths she states are harsh and unerringly critical but Hall carves out a space to express them anyway. The content ranges from the confronting and contentious, to the petty and personal. The performance is surprisingly funny at times but the tone rapidly shifts. It is rare to passively engage with another person’s opinion; the work is provocative but Hall makes this an introspective experience.

There is a sense that the performer is leading the audience somewhere dangerous and they must trust her guidance. The realisation that our beliefs have consequences is a difficult pill to swallow. This is a challenging work but it has a strong enough structure to make it palatable. The progression from fact to opinion to belief, accompanied by a symbolic use of lighting to illustrate different qualities of truth, helps to quell the audience’s growing unease.

We May Have To Choose is an ideological mission statement that shows the value of coherent and remorseless opinion. Some may struggle to remain quiet when faced with uncompromising opinions but the audience is rewarded for it. This performance will make you more aware of where you stand and the importance of knowing it.