Progress Theatre's 9th Annual Writefest, Progress Theatre, Reading 15th October 2014

Progress Theatre’s 9th Annual Writefest showcasing the 7 winning submissions (of more than 50) of short plays. The programme again delivered a smorgasbord of plays exploring many contemporary themes. The compere, Anna Jennings, moved the proceedings forward introducing each of the plays with a touch of comedy. Here are my thoughts on this year’s offerings in order of viewing.

Revenge is a Dish Best Taken with Honey

Short and sweet. There were no surprises in the short and sweet piece by William Irvine but it had some great characterisations that were funny and well observed. It would have been improved in my opinion if “Clinton” had directed his examples of naughty one-liners at the audience rather than at his long suffering teacher and if these had become more outrageous, quick-fire and frenetic.

The Deep Blue

This wasn't really a satisfying short play for two reasons. The first was a feeling of vagueness about the whole piece emphasised by the audience having to guess what “mental illness” was being portrayed when it rather seemed to me that none of the actors themselves knew. I must admit I first thought this was a piece about a man who could see ghosts, then thought the child/man “Jonathan” might be autistic before actually reading the program and realising it was some mysterious mental health problem probably related to depression given the title. I would have preferred it if “Jonathan” had made the curdling screams rather than a recording, to better connect the past with the present. Secondly, the piece did not have a story arc that I could make sense of and felt more like a scene taken from a longer piece. It was therefore difficult to empathise with any of the characters and the “it was just a dream” or in this case “figments of his imagination” ending was disappointing.

Yawn

I rather enjoyed this short, funny and truthful piece about two new fathers taking a moment to rest whilst walking their babies in the park. Whilst I guessed the ending from the second line in, I was not expecting the twists in the middle. I especially liked the moments when the two men unconsciously resembled babies themselves with large yawns and stretching. My only real criticism was that the repetition on comic effects (i.e. the 1^st Dad has a silly lullaby and then the 2^nd Dad also has one) sometimes stretched the humour & made the play longer than it needed to be but I suspect that this is a personal judgement (not least because of the laughter of fellow audience members around me).

No. 11

I really, really liked this. A very intense staging of a dark, strange yet compelling short play. The characterisation of “Gregor” was brilliant. I don’t want to say any more in-case it spoils the surprise for future audience members!

The Flood

Unfortunately, after a promising start, this piece left me unmoved. There were a few too many “Stage-School” techniques getting in the way of the storytelling for my taste. I think this would have been a much more powerful piece if the lighting effects and line repetition were all stripped away (with the exception of the spotlight on “Maureen” which was necessary). I didn't feel the menacing threat of the flood which was a shame because I thought it was a great metaphor for the overwhelming sense of loss “Rachel” was battling with throughout the piece. Otherwise a good story and solid performances.

Now

A thoughtful and interesting short play about the choices people make when they think they have no other viable options. I enjoyed the characters, performances and the story but was left feeling that I had seen an abridged version which had missed out some key scenes which would have given me more empathy and insight into the two men reaching out to the audience to be understood. This would be my pick to be developed further into a longer play.

Don’t Leave Me Alone

This was a play of two halves. In the first half we had some amusing banter between two male friends, one of whom seemed to have a serious social anxiety disorder. In the second half the “normal” guy’s girlfriend arrives and is left alone with the friend who turns out to have more social skills than he was letting on. The characters were good, the comedy was good and the story was good, but…I think there was a lack of believability in the second half which was due to the overly quirky character of the friend. I did believe him when he said nothing of much importance and no real romantic relationships had happened to him in the last 5 years. I didn’t believe him when he said he was in love. Despite that this was an enjoyable play and I liked the ending a lot.

Parrot's Beak Theatre's production of Too Far Right, Hen and Chickens Theatre, Camden Fringe, Tuesday 19th August 2014

Against the backdrop of Anti-EU campaigns and a new surge in nationalist sentiment in the UK, four young actors attempt to wade through modern Britain’s political landscape. This ambitious piece of theatre used a variety of techniques to move the discussion along. The most effective were the impersonation of political figures (both realistic and caricature), and directly talking to the audience. In this way the audience was brought into the discussion and made to engage without actually having to take a stance. Other techniques were less effective, especially a piece of physical theatre involving a representation of an EDL rally which did not have a clear meaning and left me no more enlightened as to the main message.

This was the main problem of the piece for me. I felt that lots of questions were being asked but without depth or direction. The transitions between theatrical techniques were not always smooth and it had the feel of a showcase. Perhaps this best reflects the way many young (and not so young for that matter!) people feel about politics at the moment but the lack of coherence and a strong ending left me feeling unsure what the point of this show was other than to say, apathy isn’t the answer but we don’t know what is. 

Reading Rep's production of Waiting for Godot by Samuel Beckett, Reading College, Thursday 14th August 2014

Waiting for Godot is arguably Samuel Beckett's most well known and best loved play. It is set in an empty space with nothing but a solitary tree. Reading Rep's production interprets this emptiness as a literal desert with sand on the floor which the audience must crunch over to get to their seats on either side of a promenade. The intimate nature of the space fits perfectly with the style of the play which suggests that we are all waiting for something and look merely for entertainment while we wait.

However, we do not have to wait long before Vladimir (Rick Romero) and Estragon (Kyle Fraser) enter the stage. Cast as tramps which is a usual interpretation of the pair, but not as old men, their soft Irish accents enhance Beckett's lyrical dialogue. The tenderness in their relationship is clear from the start with both actors playing the parts with conviction and skill. Fraser's often childlike portrayal of Estragon was especially compelling and balanced Romero's more serious Vladimir. I really enjoyed the physicalisation of Vladimir with slightly stooped shoulders and whole body tantrums.

The pair are interrupted in their wait by Pozzo (Stephen Macaulay) and Lucky (Brian Tynan). The physicalisation of these two was excellent and they provided energy and humour. Once again the accents were very fitting to Beckett's dialogue. Pozzo's African accent highlighted a different lyricism than Estragon and Vladimir's and his hearty laugh dispelled tension as easily as he could create it. When Lucky is commanded to “think” he delivers his thoughts with a classical elocution and a tremendous pace.

Having provided Estragon and Vladimir with entertainment the master and his dog (as Pozzo refers to Lucky) leave. As soon as they disappear a young boy (Ashley Cousins), who is a messenger from Godot, appears to tell the waiting pair that Godot will not come tonight but will surely come tomorrow. His accent is also fitting with a hint of Victorian London street urchin that emphasised his wide eyed innocence and ignorance.

The second half of the play is a reprise of the first with entrances and exits in the same order but each character except Vladimir having forgotten what transpired the previous day. There is still a great deal of humour in the second act, including some well done but not overly played nods to Laurel and Hardy but it is more poignant and hopeless. Perhaps some of the physical set pieces such as the scene with all four men collapsed on the floor could have been slicker. However, the struggle of those moments was fitting for this production which did not try to be a lesson in absurdist theatre but balanced the absurdity of the situation and the fully realised characters which found themselves in it.

Waiting for Godot is a very difficult play to get right given that it is a play in which nothing happens and so much depends on the portrayal of the characters of which nothing is known except the words they say. In my opinion Reading Rep's production definitely gets it right and I would happily watch this show again, seated on the other side of the promenade to experience a new perspective.

Teacup Theatre's production of Love Letters & Other Pointless Scribbles by Stephanie Claire, Lov'edu Gallery, Camden Fringe, Sunday 3rd August 2014

This show occupies a space somewhere in that indefinable realm of live art and interactive theatre. As we entered the small and intimate Lov’edu Gallery we were greeted by the smiling Stephanie Claire who served us cake whilst dancing along to one of her “break-up songs”. The 10 members of the audience were seated in a loose circle as if participating in a tea party in someone’s living room. Then Claire took us on a journey, figuratively and physically, through her memories of being in love, finding her passions in life and her family.

The story is framed by her memories of her grandmother who despite suffering Alzheimer’s could still be happy lost in her own world, something Claire could relate to. A clever and engaging use of props to illustrate the memories she chose to share with us, helped to both move the story forward and include the audience. Claire’s performance was convincing, honest and heartfelt throughout.

I felt this piece spoke more to the female members of the audience, who were in the majority, than the male. However, that is not a criticism as this was certainly a charming and enjoyable show with a positive message. If you aren't sure about interactive theatre then I would recommend Stephanie Claire's show as an excellent introduction to the genre.     

The Hardy Theatre Company's production of Where Nothing Arrives by Abram Rooney, Tristan Bates Theatre, Camden Fringe, Tuesday 29th July 2014

Two men sit in an empty room apparently waiting for something. The play starts with general banter, the sort of manly musings that you can hear in any pub after work. As time passes the banter adopts a more serious edge. Harder topics are discussed, such as the inevitable demise of us all, but none is pursued for long before the conversation twists in a new direction.

The two characters are well developed and portrayed. There is “Harry”, who at first seems more thoughtful and contemplative about them being in the room, and there is “Steve”, a typical east-ender with a bold stance and no-nonsense attitude. As time passes and the discussion focuses on Harry’s weaknesses, he begins to fall apart aided by a furtive ingestion of alcohol and drugs when Steve’s back is turned, whilst Steve reveals that he is the true deep thinker and philosopher of the pair.

This piece has moments of violence, tenderness and humour with believable and natural dialogue. Steve was played especially well and consistently throughout. Harry’s physicalisation was extremely good when he was acutely suffering the physical and emotional effects of the drugs although he seemed to recover remarkably quickly. The empty space is used to good effect as well, taking on dimensions determined by the characters so we develop a sense of surroundings as we learn more about the two men and the world they inhabit. My only real criticism of this piece is that sometimes the conversations were cut short too soon but this is tempered by the fact that there was a lot packed into one hour.

We never discover what they are doing in the room, nor what they are waiting for and we never get to hear the clue Harry repeatedly asks for. However, as the piece progressed I lost interest in why they were there and only wanted to know what they were going to say or do next. 

Progress Theatre's Production of Love's Labour's Lost...And Won by William Shakespeare, Monday 21st July 2014

What better way to spend a humid summer evening after a hard day of work than by watching some open air Shakespeare by the river Thames? Using the quiet and peaceful backdrop of Caversham Court Gardens, Progress Theatre laid their stage for Shakespeare’s “Love’s Labour’s Lost…And won”. As a twist on the usual production of “Love’s Labour’s Lost”, the directors have replaced the original play within a play with “Love’s Labour’s Won”. The only problem is that “Love’s Labour’s Won” is a lost play although it has been proposed that it was rewritten into another play. To get around that the directors have chosen to alternate each night between “The Taming of the Shrew” and “Much Ado about Nothing”, both frontrunners in the debate over which of Shakespeare’s surviving plays was originally “Love’s Labour’s Won”.

There are some very strong performances in this production, most notably from the four main couples. Ferdinand (the King of Navarre where the story is set) played by Darko Baric is full of good intentions until he meets and promptly falls in love with, the Princess of France (very well portrayed by Nanette Naude). His three lords (played by Daryl Penny, Kevin Copping and Craig Daniels) also fall for the Princess’s ladies (played by Louise Banks, Eleanor Porrill and Anjali Singh). The performances of Craig Daniels and Anjali Singh were particularly good, both using expression and body language as well as diction and projection consistently throughout the play to convey the meaning of Shakespeare’s language to the audience.

Unfortunately the supporting cast were not as convincing in my opinion. There were some competent performances from Lauren Gilbert (as Don Armado’s page) and Emma Wyverne (as Boyet, one of the Princess’s other ladies) and the “fantastical Spaniard” Don Armado (played by John Gonzalez) had some humorous moments. It seemed at times that the “fool” Costard was not actually a fool at all but a rather nasty piece of work who simply fell about and made mistakes because he was drunk. Whether this was intentional of not, I’m unsure but it was not the fool’s scenes that brought laughter from the audience.

Rather it was the physical comedy employed by the four courting couples that provided the humour. I thoroughly enjoyed the scene in the King’s court when each of the gentlemen suitors believing himself alone began to compose a letter to his love only to be interrupted and forced to hide by the approach of the next man. Given the limited set comprising of a few large (but not large enough to hide a man) chess pieces the King and his lords were forced to hide in plain sight adding humour to the already amusing attempts at romantic letter writing.

The humour continues as the men further attempt to woo the Princess of France and her ladies by disguising themselves. The Ladies are wise to the men’s tricks though and have fun with them by swapping tokens and wearing masks so the men woo the wrong ladies. Nanette Naude’s portrayal of the Princess of France as a clever and quite cynical woman having to bend to expectations was particularly enjoyable.

Just as the Lords and Ladies are in full swing of teasing each other they are interrupted by the play within a play, on this occasion “The Taming of the Shrew”. Whilst the Lords and Ladies retired from the stage into the audience signalling the start of the “play”, it was still not clear that it had started. Most confusing was that only Costard (the fool) seemed to adopt a new character for the play within a play. All the other characters seemed to remain the same, e.g. Jaquenetta (the country girl) playing Bianca was still Jaquenetta and Holofernes (the schoolmaster) playing Baptista was still Holofernes. It may have been that this was supposed to highlight the parallels between the characters of the two plays but it came across as confused.

The play within a play was cut short by news for the Princess from home and the four couples are forced to quit their games and pledge to each other. Again the staging of the couples was excellent with each moving into prominence when speaking creating a poignant and sombre atmosphere. The performances were convincing and heartfelt so that as the Princess and her Ladies took their leave, I really felt their sadness.  

This is a light hearted and humorous production about love and distraction. It is well worth watching and 

perfect for a summers evening so while the weather holds I recommend you get down to Caversham Court Gardens for Progress Theatre’s production of this less well known Shakespeare play.  

Progress Theatre's Production of Not About Heroes by Stephen MacDonald, Monday 26th May 2014

As I am sure you are aware, this year marks the centenary of the outbreak of the First World War. It is often called a modern war as old warfare methods were phased out in favour of machine guns, tanks and chemical weapons. However, it was also a modern war in the way the horrors of the trenches were communicated to the people back home. Men whose talents and skills lay in the use of words and sentences to invoke emotional responses were drafted into a terrible and tragic war, which many would come to see as pointless as they battled for years, losing millions of lives, for a few feet of no-man’s land. Their response was to write and thus began the era of the war poets.

“Not about heroes” is a glimpse into the lives of two of these men from the point when they meet in the Craiglockhart War Hospital during the war to the survivor’s later remembrance of the younger man, who was struck down just one week before armistice. Progress Theatre’s production, directed by Steph Dewar, is sparsely staged to great effect. The great and established poet, Siegfried Sassoon (Gareth Saunders) owns the right side of the stage, with an opulent desk and paraphernalia whilst the timid newcomer Wilfred Owen (Owen Goode) has a utilitarian desk and chair on the left of the stage. Behind Sassoon is a blank space on which hints of pleasant outdoor scenes are projected when required (such as the pastoral garden of Sassoon’s convalescent home). Behind the doomed Owen is the unmistakable description of a trench, equipped with a ladder for the inevitable “going over the top”.  

You could describe this as a two-hander play focusing on the relationship between the two men, as Sassoon realises Owen’s potential and helps him to get his work published but I think that would be selling it short. The story is told through Sassoon’s narration, both characters dictation of letters either to each other or in Owen’s case to his mother and intimate conversations. What I really enjoyed about this production was the characterisation portrayed by both actors which was maintained throughout the shifts from direct dialogue to narration and letter reading.

Sassoon is grandiose from the start and relishes reciting his own and other worthy poets work. This is a role well suited to Gareth Saunders’ style as he recites the work of Shelley, Owen and himself with timbre and gravitas. However, as the war goes on and he re-engages with it, he loses some of his ‘great man’ mask showing Owen (and us) a vulnerability which begs for our pity. Owen’s journey compliments Sassoon’s as the power shifts from the latter to the former. In his first meeting with Sassoon he is a shy, stuttering young man bowed under the weight of the label “coward”, played truthfully by Owen Goode who captures his young man’s nervous deprecation well. Through the praise and belief bestowed upon him by Sassoon and the friendship they develop, Owen finds his voice in both his poetry and speech, recovering enough to be sent back to the front line. It is in the second act of the play that we really start to see Owen’s mischievous sense of humour.

The setting of this play, the Great War, and the subject, the tragic death of a talented young man (and many others) just realising his potential may not seem conducive to laughter. However, this is not a heavy handed lecture on the fruitlessness of war. It has light moments and humour sprinkled throughout which for the most part was handled well by the cast and director, (for me, the running joke of Owen disappearing while Sassoon was talking to him seemed a little underdeveloped, leaving Owen running back and forth seemingly without purpose). The light relief of humour is a welcome balance to the heavy topic and awful beauty of the poems.

In this centenary year, when there are no survivors of the trenches left to tell us of this dark time in our recent history, I urge you to watch this production of “Not About Heroes” which encourages us to question the meaning of true courage in a world inherently unjust.

Supporting Wall's production of Dark Vanilla Jungle by Philip Ridley. Soho Theatre, London 5th April 2014

Sometimes I think I have become immune to stories of vulnerable young people dragged into misadventures full of depravity and filth, by the most disgusting characters imaginable. After all, I just have to open a newspaper or turn on the news to hear about some young woman abused and exploited by a gang of older men. But if you think you know this story, think again. Dark Vanilla Jungle is an electrifying show which proves that less is more.

Andrea, played by the extremely talented Gemma Whelan, enters the stage hesitantly and immediately disarms the audience with her childlike chatty persona. For the next hour and 20 minutes she tells her story. Easily distracted she flits between narratives, jumping forward and back and changing character in a blink of an eye. She slips into Andrea’s Irish mother, her cold grandmother Mrs V and the man who manipulates her into surrendering her innocence, all with equal ease. Besides the external characters contributing to Andrea’s misfortunes, Whelan also has to portray Andrea’s own multiple characters. She does so with complete believability and often at lightning speed. Her sudden outbursts of anger, often aimed at an audience member, which make an already intimate setting seem even closer are tempered with moments of genuine humour.

As the narrative jumps forward and back we are given flashes of insight into Andrea’s childhood and inherent character. Especially difficult in my opinion was her recounting of her interactions with her father. The innocent actions of a girl, whose only role model is a “Jezebel” mother, desperate for attention from her estranged father are twisted by that very girl in the retelling into something wrong and despicable.

Who is to blame for what happened to Andrea? And at what point, if any, does she stop being a victim and start becoming responsible for what happens to her? I don’t know the answers but I do know that no-one can watch this production of Dark Vanilla Jungle and remain unmoved.

Progress Theatre's Production of Bold Girls by Rona Munro, Monday 17th February 2014

Bold Girls is the story of one day in the life of four women living in Belfast during the troubles. One day, which should change everything but doesn’t. The four women are: Marie (Emma Sterry), a young widower with two children whose husband was killed by the Brits; Cassie (Lauren Gilbert), Marie’s best friend who also has two children with a husband she despises in jail; Nora (Alison Hill), Cassie’s mother and also a widow; and Deirdre (Libby Boyd), a lost and desperate 16 year old girl. The three older women are neighbours and share a seemingly unbreakable bond born from the tragedy of losing their men, husbands, sons and brothers to the fighting which is still tearing Belfast apart, a bond which is tested by the revelations of this day.

The play is written as a naturalistic piece and the staging in this production reflected that. Every detail of the excellent set design (right down to the obligatory “Sacred heart of Jesus” painting on the hallway wall) enhanced the audience’s fly-on-the-wall feeling. The realistic action is occasionally broken by character monologues which are staged in this production as moments of reverie. The lights were dimmed on the background tableaux while the character speaking to the audience directly was picked out with a spotlight so the transitions between the natural dialogue and the more abstract monologues were smooth and distinct.

All of the performances were strong and believable with the monologues and the interactions between Cassie and Marie standing out for me. While sometimes the pace dropped a little in the first act, I felt they all had moments of brilliance in the second act. The shifting dynamic between Cassie and Nora, from the typical Mother/Daughter relationship characterised by impatience to two women both desperate in their own ways for a man in their life that they can love and respect, was also well played out.

Bold Girls is not your typical feel-good play, rather it illustrates how people can put up with an awful lot of crap raining down on them and still carry on, being the same person they’ve always been, unbeaten and yet beaten down all at the same time. Having said that, I really enjoyed this show for the excellent performances and I had warmed to all the characters by the end. I would happily watch these Bold Girls again (& I don’t say that often!) and I’m a little jealous of the audiences for the rest of the run because I believe this show is going to get stronger and more polished every night. 

Out of Joint, Bush Theatre and Exeter Northcott Theatre Production of Ciphers by Dawn King, Saturday 18th January 2014

In “Ciphers” we follow two stories simultaneously. The first is the story of Justine, a languages expert newly recruited to a British intelligence agency. The second is the story of Kerry, Justine’s elder sister who is trying to unravel the mystery of Justine’s life after her suspicious death. As the name suggests this play revolves around encrypted messages. There are those Justine tries to decipher in her job and the way she communicates with her lover so his wife doesn’t find out.

Misdirection is a key theme in the play with each actor playing two roles. Justine and Kerry are played skillfully by Grainne Keenan who managed to elicit empathy for both characters. The change of clothes which accompanied the change in character was perhaps too subtle for some of the audience members (judging by the discussions I overheard in the interval). However, I thought each character was well defined by the actors, each with their own mannerisms, way of speaking and moving.

The staging of the play was very clever and effective. Large off-white screens were the backdrop and an otherwise empty stage contained either a versatile table (which could be a desk or a painter’s easel) or a platform. Scene changes were fast. At the beginning they were accomplished by one of the screens being passed across the front of the stage and one scene being replaced by another behind it. As the play went on the scene changes became less precise with the actors having to switch between characters almost in front of the audience. I felt this was adding to the confusion as the characters and the audience tried to establish truth.

However, there is more to this play than espionage, either professional or otherwise. One of the most moving scenes in this production is a conversation between Kerry and her father (played very truthfully by Bruce Alexander) about Justine’s death. Kerry can’t accept the official line that her sister killed herself because she wants to believe Justine had value, that her death and life wasn’t pointless. For her father, Justine was always of value regardless of what she did or didn’t do. Indeed the title has another meaning, “of no value” and this is the motivation for all of Justine’s actions. She becomes a spy because she wants to be someone important and isn’t that a feeling we can all empathise with?

Progress Theatre's Production of The Wolves of Willoughby Chase by Joan Aiken, adapted for the stage by Russ Tunney, Friday 17th January 2014

This is a play based on the book of the same name by Joan Aiken. The story revolves around two girls; Bonnie (Isabel Brodie), who lives on a large country estate with her loving parents and Sylvia (Poppy Price), her impoverished orphan cousin from London. When Bonnie’s father takes her mother on a sea voyage for her health he arranges for Sylvia to keep Bonnie company.  The setting for the story is an alternative 19^th century England where wolves terrorize the countryside.

The production opens in a schoolroom with a strict schoolmaster who objects to noise. When he eventually leaves the room the children start to tell each other a story. Two of the girls are transformed into Bonnie and Sylvia and the great make believe begins. The other “children” take on various roles as required, change or even become part of the scenery and create atmospheric noises such as the sound of Sylvia’s train. Breaking up the action were several songs which were performed well. Especially notable was Anjali Singh who sang with conviction and feeling.

The sense of “make believe” was maintained throughout the production as most of the ensemble (and this really was an ensemble performance) stayed on stage and watched the action when not a part of it. The only character not played by the children was the wicked governess, Miss Slighcarp (competently played by Rod Sloan). This was the first but not the only cross dressing in the production and whilst consistent with the “make believe” theme I found it a little too pantomime for my taste. Having said that I must applaud Geoff Dallimore for his commitment to and comic portrayal of all three characters he played including the “stout woman” Brisket.

This production was fun and full of humour especially in the use of props and I would certainly describe it as family friendly. However, the sense of make believe was too strong in my opinion. I never felt the girls were really affected by anything that happened to them and there were moments when I felt I was really watching a group of children playing make believe. Overall, The Wolves of Willoughby Chase could have done with a little more bite.