Guerilla Zoo Presents Interzone

William S Burroughs might not be a household name exactly but his legacy of work and continuing influence is impressive. As a founding father of the Beat Generation movement, alongside Jack Kerouac and Allen Ginsberg, Burroughs was the author of more than 20 books, including the landmark, Naked Lunch, which was later made into an equally seminal film by David Cronenberg.

He continuously collaborated with huge stars, most notably David Bowie and Kurt Cobain, and his work is referenced over and over again in popular culture including the song Atlantis to Interzone by The Klaxons and Steely Dan who named themselves after a dildo in Naked Lunch. Despite his success, Burroughs life and work was far from without controversy. Naked Lunch saw him put on trial for US obscenity laws, he was arrested for forging narcotics prescriptions and, most famously, he shot his common-law wife Joan Vollmer in the head in a William Tell re-enactment gone horribly wrong.

As the daughter of a serious Beat Generation fan, I was excited to be invited to Interzone, a celebration of all things William S Burroughs, named after a collection of short stories based in a stateless city of the same name, to mark the centenary of his birth. The event, put on by events company Guerrilla Zoo, promised an ‘experiential city’ that would combine promenade theatre, music, performance art, films and art installations. I was intrigued and headed towards the ‘secret location’ – all we knew is that it was near North Greenwich tube – with trepidation and an unconvinced friend.

Things started well. On arrival we were welcomed by some huge, camouflaged but perfectly amenable men who escorted us into the building. This was the last of the perfectly amenable men. Our route in was a darkened maze of discarded metal and broken wood which we were told by armed soldiers who seemed to appear out of nowhere, in no uncertain terms and at high volume, to traverse on our knees. Beyond the fear, this was fun and exhilarating and exactly what we’d hoped the night would be, something different. However unfortunately, this momentum did not continue. Past the giddying excitement of our entrance, what we were faced with was a cold, mainly empty warehouse with a suspicious smell and a load of character actors of varying quality and commitment.

I love the idea of this event and we tried our hardest to enjoy it but we, and everyone else that we spoke to, felt it just didn’t quite reach the heady heights it promised. The lack of guests didn’t help any with the lack of atmosphere, which was a real shame as it was obvious a lot of effort had gone into proceedings. It seemed as though the actors and organisers were too busy enjoying their creation to remember to make it fun and enjoyable for everyone else. What it left me pondering wasn’t what it would be like to live in a dystopian society or even the work or ideas of Burroughs but rather that maybe our traditional British character traits just aren’t ready for this type of immersive theatre unless, like in the enjoyable entrance, you’re given no option but to get involved. A damning idea that I hope more than anyone isn’t the case, but the fact around 20 people all stood in a queue for apparently no good reason for over an hour doing nothing more than the occasional tut or watch-glance, I think, speaks volumes. However, this is a fact I am willing to admit probably says more about us than it does the event itself.

Guerilla Zoo’sInterzone took place on Friday 7 February 2014.