Family is given an entirely new meaning in this tender yet humorous play about three siblings and their absent mother
Cassie, Tin, and Kit are three sisters with an unbreakable bond. When their mom disappears and the promise of her return still lingers in the air, Cassie, at 17-years-old, becomes Tin’s (11) and Kit’s (8) unofficial caregiver. Though Cassie asks her siblings to keep their circumstances under wraps, word gets out and the three are taken into foster care by the objectively kind and loving Alice and Mark. Cassie is understandably protective over their siblings and fears their separation. When Mark and Alice ask Kit and Tin if they would be comfortable being adopted by the pair, Cassie fears the seemingly inevitable separation of themself from their sisters. Cassie begins an arduous journey to legally become Kit and Tin’s caregiver, a quest that poses the question of whether a teenager can be the guardian of two children. The very definition of a family is wrangled with, with heart breaking sincerity.
Written in conversation with children in the foster-system, playwright and director Alex Howarth has created an earnest masterpiece. Cassie and The Lights is performed as a play created by the piece’s young subjects: Tin, Kit, and Cassie. The siblings directly address the audience, give verbal context to the scenes, openly coordinate the technical elements, and craft pieces of set as they go along. The stage design has the hallmarks of childhood – objects are attributed multiple functions; suitcases are bedazzled with lights and puppets to change time or place. The language is perfectly childlike, and painfully so as these children openly battle incredibly difficult and outright ‘adult’ problems. The piece flows as a perfectly chaotic child’s handywork.
Alex Brain (Cassie), Helen Chong (Tin), and Emily McGlynn (Kit) form a wonderful ensemble. Their chemistry is palpable and presented a bond that felt truly like that of siblings who have been forced to hold onto each other as tightly as possible in the face of hardship. The production featured live music and soundscape-composition by Teresa Origone. The music was folksy, creating a sense of sombre ache. The live soundscape production added to the unpretentious nature of a play ‘created’ by the children of the story.
The audience was clearly left feeling incredibly touched by Cassie and the Lights. This piece leaves much to think about on your journey home. Cassie and the Lights poses the question of what constitutes a family and how much autonomy we have over who counts as our kin. No matter your own relationship to family – filial, chosen, or otherwise – Cassie, Kit, and Tin’s story will certainly give you more to consider when asked the question what a complete family looks like.