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“You can have opinions if you want, just it’s best not to talk about them”: A series of short, urgent plays addressing censorship in the arts in Britain

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Cutting the Tightrope at the Arcola theatre has a stark message for those who censor voices in the arts. Featuring a sequence of 11 short plays, conversations about genocide, racism and censorship of the arts are explored in different settings of British culture. This structure allows the production to explore a broad spectrum of issues without becoming overly fragmented, allowing each piece feel standalone, yet together they form a cohesive and compelling whole. While some pieces were less suited to the ‘scratch night’ feel, the overall ambition of the company to defy British censorship is extremely admirable and should be promoted.

Empathy is Blind is set in a British blind-dating reality show whereby throughout a series of dates, the human impact of horrendous genocides not covered by the Western media was revealed. The placement of a subject untouched by headlines of large papers within a context of superficially mediated relationships actively promoted by the British media cut deep. Likewise, Suitable Subjects powerfully revealed the passivity of British culture: “maybe we shouldn’t talk about the weather anymore”.

The Florist of Rafah was beautifully performed by Waleed Elgadi, delivering an emotional depiction of first-hand experience of joy, sorrow and horror. This contrasted the intellectual debate in A Totally Imaginary Unequivocally Fictional Conversation I’m Not In, energetically and empathetically performed by Joel Samuels. A highlight moment for me was in 46 Women Attempt A Question where members of the audience joined the actors in standing a total of 46 times imploring to be heard. This was particularly poignant on my night with the presence of Diane Abbott in the audience.

Overall, the ensemble cast carried the scenes powerfully, with multiple standout performances by Sara Masry. The sound design by Ed Lewis mixed voice notes by artists contemplating the purpose of theatre with urgent and intense beats. The lighting by Angelo Sagnellia creatively utilised the stark set, changing the locations with clarity. The addition of Anthea Benjamin as Production Therapist was a joy to see on the production team, and points towards the thoroughness that this production as a whole has set as a new standard of the direction of theatre.

I left the theatre, after a raw and vulnerable post-show discussion (as happens after every performance), thinking, ‘what is the point of theatre, if not this?’. Hats off to the vision, grit and determination of the whole team to use the arts and culture as a true platform for political change.