Art imitates life in a crypt tonight. An old sepulchre in St Paul's Cathedral is the unlikely site for a play about serendipity and life.
One Day explores chance encounters between two strangers and the life-changing consequences that can emerge from them.
"The way this play has come about has challenged a lot of my preconceptions about theatre. It's been very liberating and refreshing," actor Simon O'Connor says.
"We don't actually work with the same script, which is interesting.
"It's been a fascinating way to work, from both a writing and acting point of view.
"It's hard to put your finger on why it works so well, but that's one of the joys of it. It's truer to life than most scripted works."
As the characters' layers of complexity are revealed, the exchanges become charged with significance.
"We developed the characters by each bringing a list of five people we knew and writing about them.
"Then we did an exhaustive back-story on the history of characters and then brought them together and let the sparks fly.
"It's a super-real acting style and it's so intimate, because the audience is involved and their imagination does the rest.
"It really mines the imaginations and experiences of the audience," O'Connor says.
"We're performing in traverse. The audience is on either side and we're performing in the middle.
"The audience can see each other, as much as they can see us.
"The fact that you can look from us and see what other people are thinking means the actors and audience are really participating."
The two 50-minute pieces are set in Vauxhall and Albion Pl in Dunedin.
The first piece, has O'Connor as "Paddy", a Dunedin man who has recently returned home after many years overseas, who meets windsurfer Karen (played by Barbara Power) at the Vauxhall Yacht Club.
The second piece, sees O'Connor as retired Victoria University academic "Carl", who is researching a book at the Hocken Library and meets "Jordan" [Power] when she is busking in Albion Pl.
Both chance meetings will prove life-changing.
"They're little conversations between two strangers coming together. They don't know each other or about each other.
"What is being said is just the tip of the iceberg. So, what keeps them together for 50 minutes?"
"They're not challenging, but they reward attention. They're like a Japanese watercolour. The more you look into them, the more you see."
O'Connor says the crypt is one of the more unusual places he's acted in.
"I've performed in prisons, a pub, a fire station, an historic granary, churches even, but One Day is certainly my crypt debut.
"Actually, contrary to any spooky associations, the crypt beneath St Paul's feels welcoming and open and peaceful.
"It makes a great performance space.
"We were just looking for somewhere spacious and quiet. It's very simple, uncluttered theatre and the crypt is a space that just lets it 'be'.
"It doesn't impose anything on the work at all.
"Besides, performing is a scary business. But, it's exhilarating when you get it right."
One Day is on in the St Paul's Cathedral crypt at 8pm each day until Thursday.
