Fantastic visuals and committed performances

An interesting display of talent, creativity, and commitment was showcased by the National Youth Theatre in a production of NEST, which occurred in a 355-hectare nature park. The story takes place in the year 2050, on the grounds of St Aidan’s RSPB Nature Park in Leeds, where climate change has had disastrous consequences for the flora and fauna of our planet. As a result, bird watchers have no birds to watch, politicians are committed to the idea of net 0, and people are considering flying to Mars as a way to save themselves.

Skyler, the protagonist, embarks on a formative journey that shapes her perspective of the past, present, and future, as well as her relationships with her loved ones. In an attempt to derive meaning from the journal that she unexpectedly receives, she must confront the challenges of the world she lives in and reevaluate her priorities.

The production was visually stunning, with impressive projections, immersive lighting, and great visual statement pieces that transported the theatre-goers to different locations. The acting was believable, and all performers were committed to their roles. Although it was not an ensemble piece, some characters stood out and were more important in the narration of the action. The moments that shone the brightest were the ones in which the young actors worked together as an ensemble to deliver a wonderful performance. Similarly to the activism for global warming, just by working in a team, they sent across a much stronger message.

Although open-air productions are appealing, they can pose challenges that are not easily overcome. During the performance, there were issues with the microphones of the main performers which made it difficult for me to understand the entire context of the piece. Additionally, walking for 12 kilometres through reedbeds, wetlands, meadows, and woodland resulted in a significant amount of dead time, which ultimately hindered the immersion aspect of the fast-paced story. As a result, many theatre-goers found themselves asking “Where is Skyler?” too many times. An important aspect of narrative immersive experiences is the transition between scenes and other elements, including decorum and music. Unfortunately, it seems like this aspect was not taken into consideration in this case.

In my opinion, the play that I saw left a lot to be desired in terms of world-building. While I could appreciate the concept of a future world set in 2050, I felt that the effort put into immersing the audience was inadequate. There was no creative infusion of new ideas and no unique identifiers that set the 2050 universe apart from our own. It was almost as if the playwright had simply taken a few newspaper articles from 2023 and extrapolated them into a future world. A truly believable dystopian future requires a lot of thought and consideration, including elements such as technology, social structure, and how humanity has evolved. Unfortunately, this play did not deliver on any of these fronts, and I found myself struggling to suspend my disbelief. 

I had difficulty understanding some of the concepts in the show. Throughout the play, I was unsure whether the birds were a metaphor for climate refugees (as suggested by the collaboration with Compass Collective) or were just missing creatures from the sanctuary. As the play progressed, there were many physical representations of birds, which made me question the narrative flow. Additionally, the desired-cathartic ending was somewhat unclear, and cliched, and left me wondering about the production’s intended message.

If the piece was meant more as an artistic expression of a pressing issue for the young audience, by a young cast – it was successful. It is commendable that the members of NYT collectively decided, through a survey, to address this issue artistically. The green fields were filled with diverse talent who demonstrated a strong commitment to their craft. If the goal of Nest was to transport theatre-goers to a potential future and inspire a change in their behaviour, then perhaps the play’s message should not have been so subtly nested.