Two days after writing about what I perceived to be a dearth of original, exciting student theatre at my uni, I happened to see exactly that. Drink Me, a piece of new writing that surreally explored...something...(I'm still coming up with theories as to what was actually going on, though fortunately I'm pretty sure that's what the show's makers intended) was precisely what I've been looking for. A cast not afraid to commit themselves wholeheartedly to some pretty extreme acts (such as auto-erotic asphyxiation, plenty of masturbation and some genital mutilation - all simulated, of course), a play that toyed around with conventions and didn't keep within the cosy confines of the fourth wall, and some brilliant directorial flourishes, particularly with the dashes of physical theatre that cropped up throughout.

I should probably qualify the above somewhat - I'm not inherently against plays that don't feature a number of sexual acts, or which do have a fourth wall, or which play the content entirely straight and without exploring a variety of styles and forms. I've seen a huge number of wonderful productions that have done none of this. 

But I can't help thinking that the particularly wonderful resources available at uni (Cambridge probably having better than most, with a number of venues at our disposal, plenty of support - both financial and otherwise - and access to brilliant technical resources) are somewhat wasted if the vast majority of shows staged are naturalistically played classics. If there was ever a time to let our imaginations run riot, this is it - and yet Drink Me was the first show I've seen in a long time that felt like this. It's too easily forgotten that everyone at uni is learning how to act, direct, design and suchlike, and I wonder if it's this pressure to seem professional (which, whilst a great attitude to have in some respects, doesn't reflect what we actually are) that makes people scared to do more risky productions and stick to what they have experience with.

Hopefully more shows like Drink Me will get staged soon. We are incredibly lucky to have so much to play with here, and it's a huge shame if we don't take the opportunity to do so.