Month: February 2025

IN CONVERSATION WITH: Simon Kielty

Published on by Tabitha JamesLeave a comment

This February, the New Works festival returns for its 13th year, celebrating the very best of student writing in Glasgow. We sat down with Simon, author of He Bends the Tall Grass, which performs on 26th February, Queen Margaret Union.

What inspired the creation of a wooden child as the central figure in this folk horror play?

The play centers on the characters’ complex relationships with the concept of “family.” Whether it’s something they’ve lost or something they long to have, the wooden boy serves as a poignant symbol of this yearning. Much like a tree, the wooden boy represents a state of emotional stasis, caught in an endless cycle of growth yet remaining unmoving. Emily’s unrelenting desire for a child she can never have and the Mallachds’ refusal to accept the family they’ve lost, mirror a tree’s paradox: it grows larger, yet stays rooted in one place, unable to change.

How did the rural Scottish setting influence the eerie tone of the story?

I set out to craft a story that reawakens an aspect of Scottish culture I fear is slipping away—our rich and captivating folklore. In exploring folktales like The Nine Maidens of Dundee and Robert the Bruce and the Spider, I sought to honor the traditions of rural Scotland. The settings explored by my characters serve as a tribute to these classic stories while also highlighting aspects of Scottish culture that extend beyond city life. I believe the eerie atmosphere of the tale will resonate with audiences, amplified by the desperation of the characters. The rural landscape itself becomes a silent but powerful presence on stage—just as the characters yearn for ownership of their bodies, the land longs for ownership of its own story.

What themes of motherhood and bodily autonomy were you most interested in exploring?

The intention of this play is to display, theatrically, the pressure to create ‘the perfect family,’ and how the world inadvertently views people who can’t or who simply do not wish to fit into this idealistic view. The play hopes to challenge society’s expectations through confronting the frustrating and outdated narrative that a person’s worth is tied solely to parenthood. I wish to amplify that people should be seen as individuals before the societal pressure to procreate, or their own autonomy. Through the characters dialogue and interaction, my hope is to emerge empathy from an audience at just how harrowing these misogynistic views can truly be: people who are infertile, have experienced losing their child or who simply cannot/do not wish to provide for children are seen to ‘be without purpose’ and this can vastly deplete parents’ overall sense of self and mental health. My intention was not only to amplify motherhood, but parenthood as a collective. The self-internalisation that stigmas particularly men to put up a strong front in potentially traumatic situations can be psychologically damaging and through abstract performance, I intend to highlight this societal issue too.

What was your thought process behind blending ancient folklore with modern issues?

Folktales, no matter the culture, are rooted in political, modern issues and morals. In the past few years, many forms of media have explored the theme of pregnancy especially in the horror genre. This can mainly be pinpointed by the overturning of ‘Roe v Wade,’ an American form of legislation that granted the right to have an abortion, which was overturned in 2022. Although an American legislation, this caused discussions and shockwaves on a global scale. Picking up from this, I wanted to explore how family issues include both parents involved as well as how society treats people who either cannot or do not want to have a family. Incorporating this into my own folktale helps me emulate these issues in a fantastical setting. 

How did you approach creating tension and fear within the confined setting of a farmhouse?

My aim to build tension in the play is deeply rooted in my characters. The true horror of their situations lies not in the external threats, but in their own fear. The first couple scenes are focused on gradually escalating unease, as Emily goes about her work routine with the Mallachd’s. The longer the scene unfolds, the more discomfort will grow in the audience, knowing that at any moment, the story could take an unsettling, eldritch turn. By trapping these characters in the confines of a farmhouse, I force them to confront the emotional and personal truths they’ve been avoiding, particularly the way the mysterious wooden child brings their unresolved issues to the surface.

What emotions or questions do you hope audiences will leave with after seeing the play?

Mainly, I want an audience to leave my play with the understanding that we are all afraid of losing control of our bodies, even those that wish to seek that control. I hope that audiences enjoy the thrill ride the play took them on whilst also appreciating the deeper themes of vulnerability and autonomy. I want them to reflect on the complex relationship we all have with our own bodies—how we try to control them, how we fear losing that control, and how, in some ways, we’re all constantly negotiating that balance. I hope they leave with questions about what it means to truly be in control, and how much of that is an illusion.

Ultimately, I want them to feel both exhilarated and thoughtful—maybe even uncomfortable in a productive way, prompting them to think about their own boundaries and the ways they confront fear in their lives.

IN CONVERSATION WITH: Jasmin Vardimon

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We sat down for a chat with Jasmin Vardimon ahead of her new show NOW at Sadler’s Wells East

NOW marks the 25th anniversary of your company. What inspired you to revisit iconic moments from your repertoire for this production?

25 years of creation is a milestone and I wanted to stop and reflect and at the same time to revisit moments & stories that left a mark on my memory.

These moments  have been brought back to the studio and reworked with a new, more current perspective.

How does NOW reflect on the “ever-changing world” you mention, and what contemporary issues have shaped this work?

We live in a digital time, where a lot of the information that shapes our point of view is manipulated by what we see on screens.

NOW has cameras installed in various places around the stage, which provide alternative points of view while additional information is added to what’s seen live on stage.

The work reflects on some old issues that are unfortunately never changing, and still very present in our current world (war, borders and at the same time the desire for reconciliation and compassion). Through the use of various camera angles, different perspectives are explored.

Your work often blends dance with socio-political commentary. How do you approach embedding these themes within your choreography?

My work always exists in the gap between the universal and the personal.

The subject matters are universal, but the point of view is very personal and it is presented to the audience through an imaginative lens.

As an Associate Artist with Sadler’s Wells since 2006, how has this long-term collaboration influenced your artistic journey?

For almost 20 years all my creations for my company have been commissioned, supported and presented at Sadler’s Wells.

It had a huge influence on my artistic journey, with crucial support being provided from the inception of each creation all the way to its eventual presentation to audiences.

Your choreography is often described as uniquely theatrical. How do you balance narrative and abstraction in your dance theatre practice?

I always like to tell stories and re-imagine them using various tools and techniques.

I’m fascinated by the continuous exploration of the dialogue between dance and theatre, and with that I believe the human body has an incredible capacity to tell a story, using physical, vocal, emotional and conceptual abilities.

Can you share more about the international cast involved in NOW? How has their diverse background influenced the production

While we explored universal issues in the creative process, each dancer brings to it his/her own interpretation from their own background and experience.

Our performing cast are from the UK, Europe (Belgium, France, Portugal), Asia (Japan) and Africa (Reunion Island).

Reflecting on your career, what have been the most significant shifts in contemporary dance over the past 25 years?

Many shifts were significant in the last 25 years. 

Some universal, other political and many personal.

Perhaps the largest one for me actually started from a very personal shift of becoming a mother.

It meant I had to reconsider continuing performing, balancing new priorities, and finally refocusing my attention on building a home for my company, rather than constantly touring.

This home, JVHOME is the fruit of 12 years intense work. It is designed to share artistic experience & knowledge with others, and houses our professional development program, JV2, our youth company, JVyoU along a growing number of community classes and performances.

By offering such development opportunities to dancers and choreographers, we aim to nurture a young generation of artists who are interested in exploring the dialogue between dance and theatre.

REVIEW: Birdboy

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Rating: 5 out of 5.

A surreal, playful, and moving multi-media dance about weird kids — beautifully cohesive and captivating.

Birdboy at Sadler’s Wells East is Irish Choreographer Emma Martin’s London debut – a tribute to all the weird kids left on the sidelines, for both young children and the inner child of all.

Birdboy offers a stunning visual experience with a set consisting of a beat-up old Volkswagen, and a helium-filled plastic bag with a jellyfish-like tentacle tail hovering in its headlights. The performer, Kévin Coquelard, starts perched atop this car, dressed as a bird, his silhouette cast large on the back wall. The piece beautifully weaves its storytelling between choreography, shadow art, projection, objects and absolutely gorgeous lighting design – particularly striking as it emanates from the inside of the car, imbuing it with its own distinct, living character. Through shadow puppetry, we understand the central character’s loneliness and endearing, childlike view of the world.

From the outset, the piece strikes a playful, chaotic, and surreal tone, layering what we understand in a concrete sense with a wonderfully abstracted world of otherworldly creatures and a young person’s magical logic. This layered ambiguity was a strength of the piece for me: the character brushes his teeth, seemingly sleeping in his car, as his car radio comes to life. The radio offers a voice to the character who we understand, through a recording of his own voice as a child, does not like to speak in front of others. It’s a delight to find out more about this child self across the piece – his challenges and loves. Coquelard lip-syncs to these recordings alongside rapid-fire music and media clips – an eclecticism reminiscent of how content consumption feels online. Both expansive and limiting as the character’s way of understanding and expressing his isolation and escapism. This is reflected in the choreography, as he is compelled into frenzied rhythms to keep up with this varied cultural soundtrack of feeling and humour. 

Coquelard’s performance is captivating from the moment he steps onto the stage. His portrayal of the character is deeply touching, idiosyncratic and whole-hearted, with physicality that is entirely specific to the world of Birdboy. This movement serves to transcribe his internal state alongside a use of slapstick and physical comedy that, at times, reminded me of Rik Myall’s performance in Drop Dead Fred. The deliberate cartoonish quality never detracted from the piece’s human core, exploring instead that the character does not know how to “fit in” comfortably between these wild mosaics of self. Highly relatable. 

The piece exudes a retro aesthetic, in the choice of car and the style of the sound design. This nostalgic atmosphere reflects the character’s fears and left-over stories, echoing his early experiences of alienation, immersed in an imaginative world tinged with discomfort. Coquelard played so well off the elements on stage, helping to bring the car and increasingly appearing “jellyfish” to life alongside incredible design. He and Martin create an ethereal, characterful world in collaboration with the brilliant stagecraft, lighting, music and sound.

As the performance unfolds, more ominous plastic bag “jellyfish” clutter the stage, both inescapable and suffocating, adding to the surreal and dreamlike quality of the piece. Birdboy is someone who gets rid of other people’s unkind laughter and sweeps away these “jellyfish”, a hero figure who both looks after the character and who the character could become. What once used to overwhelm is seemingly let go of by the end – finding the freedom of flying. 

I found Birdboy to be incredibly touching – a gift: honest, delightful and heartbreaking. It’s a cohesive, strange world that’s stayed with me, and I could feel the strength of collaboration throughout. It is weird, and what does weird really mean? I would recommend this show to everybody – it’s a feat – and there’s a lot more to reflect on in this work. A beautiful journey, a beautiful character, a wonder-filled world – a gorgeous show.

Author: Ariella Stoian

REVIEW: PLANETS!!!

Published on by Eoin FentonLeave a comment

Rating: 4.5 out of 5.

Cameron Sinclair Harris’ PLANETS!!! lifts off at Soho Rising 2025

The planets have been a concern of scientists, astrologists, and artists for millennia. Few, however, have asked the important questions. Who’s the neurotic one? Who’s the quiet, sexy one? Who’s the Samantha? The Carrie? In the latter case it’s probably Mars. It’s a silly premise, but Cameron Sinclair Harris allows us to meet these giants of the solar system in their solo show PLANETS!!!. It’s part of the Soho Theatre’s 2025 edition of Soho Rising, a fortnight of shows from up-and-coming talent in writing, comedy, cabaret, and drag. It’s no simple task in a venue who’s guest book includes greats like Phoebe Waller-Bridge, Lucy McCormick, and Peaches Christ. 

As our ringleader and interstellar tour guide, Sinclair Harris has a charmingly intense presence. There’s an unpredictability behind their cheeky smile and wide eyes, daring us to come aboard their spacecraft. We gladly participate but are never beyond scolding if we mess up — like kids in a playground being directed by a particularly bossy theatre kid or eccentric drama teacher. It’s that return to childhood play and imagination that anchors Sinclair Harris’ show: cardboard boxes become a rocket ship, a stuffed dog fills in for Laika, we sing twinkle twinkle little star like a classroom of well behaved toddlers.

Thankfully, Sinclair Harris never veers too far into nostalgia and sentimentality in their dialogue. Still there is some profundity: time is an ever present theme. ‘We don’t have much time left’, Sinclair Harris reminds us throughout the night. This is not just regarding our allotted hour-long slot in the theatre, but that fateful day thousands of years from now when the sun will finally devour our solar system (it turns out planets also have their own mortal anxieties). Earth is eager to remind us that the clock is ticking even louder for the polluting earthlings — and spoiler alert, Mars doesn’t want us moving in anytime soon. 

Sinclair Harris’ planetary caricatures are loud and proud, and only sometimes uncomfortably so, as is the case with the Bradshaw-esque Mars. The most intense planet you’ve met in a club bathroom after a bump. However, nobody overstays their welcome. Uranus waxes philosophically over the starry lullaby with its accordion — ‘why doesn’t the twinkle twinkle little star ever wonder about us?”. Mercury’s opening musical number is straight out of an existentialist children’s show. Saturn has just released a bratty single, and wouldn’t you too with rings like that? The highlight is a toxic, desolate, barren planet out to clear her name, a deliciously out of touch Venus — like a yummy mummy with a gravitational pull. 

What makes PLANETS!!! work is not just the commitment to the ridiculousness of the premise, but the humanity embedded within these figures. We all know who these planets are, we’ve ran into a Uranus at university or a Venus in the line at Gail’s, Sinclair Harris’ balance between the observational and the whacky, the profound and the resonatory, is deftly maintained, never tipping into hamfisted excess. Cameron Sinclair Harris is a rocket getting ready for take-off.

REVIEW: It’s Your Role

Published on by Savinay SoodLeave a comment

Rating: 5 out of 5.

A Must See for D&D Fans

When I first walked into the intimate River Room at Riverside Studios I was equally intrigued and apprehensive of the premise of the show. As I walked in I said to my friend “this is either going to be really good or really bad”. As a lifelong fan of Dungeons & Dragons (D&D), I wasn’t quite sure what to expect. I’m pleased to say that the show was engaging, fun and silly. 

For the uninitiated, D&D is a Tabletop Roleplaying Game that combines improv and maths in service of telling a collaborative story. Over the last decade, there has been no shortage of shows where actors play the game, Dropout’s Dimension 20, Geek and Sundry’s Critical Role and the McElroy Brothers’ The Adventure Zone have literally millions of fans. The Dimension 20 team recently played a show at Madison Square Garden. Though the River Room is a far cry from MSG, it was clear that the actors were just as passionate about the game. 

The It’s Your Role team, led by Dungeon Master Elliot Reeves-Giblin, are attempting to bring a fresh take to the saturated market of D&D Actual Play shows by involving a different audience member each month alongside a regular cast of actors (Ben Welford, Lydia McNulty, Max Jukes, Edward Shock). Each show is recorded and put up online for listeners to enjoy in podcast format.

The energy from the crowd was electric as Reeves-Giblin threw a giant inflatable dice into the crowd to determine which lucky audience member would be joining in on the story for the night (congratulations to Adam who stepped up wonderfully). For the crowd work averse, do not worry, it is entirely voluntary! From there the improvisers created an original story. Our show involved a Belgian Detective named Lady Gaga, a model train building dragon and an attempt at making the perfect curry. Humour is definitely prioritised over strict adherence to the rules and I can see some stalwart fans of the game taking umbridge with some of the calls made in the moment. There are several ways for the audience to get involved, suggesting humourous names for non player characters and being able to reverse or alter certain player character choices. It’s Your Role are able to achieve the unexpected, creating a new and original take on the D&D Actual Play format, and for this I commend them highly.

Accessibility to the game is prioritised, cast members would give brief explanations for actions where necessary and D&D 101 QR codes are placed on each table. As the shows continue it will be interesting to see if it will be possible to achieve real emotional stakes for the mainstay characters given the wild card nature of the show. The accessibility extends to the ticket price, which is kept to £10.

Whilst the nature of improv means that I cannot guarantee the quality of any given show, the mechanics of audience participation, the love of the game by audience and performers alike and the willingness to be silly mean that I’m certain that it’ll be a fun night for old and new fans of the game alike.

IN CONVERSATION WITH: Will Gowling

Published on by Tabitha JamesLeave a comment

This February, the New Works festival returns for its 13th year, celebrating the very best of student writing in Glasgow. We sat down with Will, author of Boutique, which performs on 25th February, Queen Margaret Union.

What drew you to set the play in a boutique, and how did that environment shape the story? 

The play actually began as a much shorter piece (without any bizarre supernatural elements) that essentially never left the boutique parlour, so the enclosed nature of the setting has always been intrinsic to the story. The idea started when I was spending a bit too much time watching Say Yes To The Dress with my mum back home and began to realise that the wedding shop floor is often a place where insecurities are released and family tensions can so easily bubble to surface. Put simply, bridal shops can be evil. Once I figured out that I wanted it to go into much darker, weirder territory with the narrative, I developed this environment that was perfectly tailored to a luxurious customer experience, to an extreme, campy degree, but was actually a kind of monstrous trap for the hopeful brides. There’s also something fascinating about spaces of extortionate purchases. What are we buying? Why does it cost so much? Why are we willing to pay? What does it mean to the buyer? What do these items represent for us? 

How does the 1976 setting influence the social and family dynamics depicted in the play? 

Without spoiling the story too much, ’76 was a crucial transitional period for the gay community, at a point where homosexuality had been decriminalised for a few years but prior to the radical action of the 80s. This tipping point for queer culture manifests in the character of Jude, whose brazen expression of his identity is a source of discomfort for his sister and mother, and in two other characters, whose repression of their own queerness shape so much of the narrative. In a larger sense, the shadow of marriage as an institution hangs over the characters, reminding them of what they can’t have or what they feel they must do in order to be accepted. As is the case with the largely static character of the Mannequin, at this point in history, queer folks are still struggling to move the needle; they can gesture towards real life, tilt or strain in its direction, but to be seen, heard, acknowledged, interacted with, would be to break the careful boundaries laid out in the culture. 

What inspired the blend of family drama with darker, supernatural elements? 

I think elements of fantasy work best when they coax out very real personal troubles. As an insufferably avid fan of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, weaving in campy horror with soapy personal drama has always been my favourite – for this play, I took a lot of specific inspiration from the visuals of 70s Giallo cinema. Boutique has a sort of fairy-tale narrative of selfish dreams that lead the family astray, complete with a run-in with their very own Big Bad Wolf, but it was important to me that the Clyde’s family drama was real so that the magical threat feels equally as real. The danger that Madame Tattler poses is reliant on a family that is ripe with both fear and regret; between Marjorie’s delusions, Evelyn’s bitterness and Jude’s avoidance, they make the perfect feast for her. 

What challenges did you face in balancing the glamorous and sinister tones of the narrative? 

In the writing process, it was a huge challenge getting the character of Madame Tattler right, she’s equal parts predatory creature and poised fashionista and the first aspect is sort of contained within the other. Her character is really representative of this tonal balance, at times dancing around the showroom floor and at other’s crawling and prowling her way across the stage, and in the rehearsal room, Tilly’s performance has matched this beautifully, to the point of almost seeming like a special effect in and of herself. From a technical perspective, we are also working to create this tone by blending luxurious, high-camp set dressing with deep red lighting and ominous soundscapes, hopefully evoking the Gothic atmosphere of the stories which inspired it.  

What role does the concept of “perfection” play in the story’s deeper themes?

Most of our characters are seeking to create something perfect: Marjorie wants the perfect romance, Evelyn wants the perfect family, Tattler strives to create a ‘perfect’ dress. But these pretty basic desires are rooted in a genuine inability for the characters to face reality and I think that quest for perfection really comes crashing down on all of them in terrifying ways. In Tattler’s Boutique, perfection means cutting the loose threads – shedding anything that doesn’t look or feel the way you want it to. 

REVIEW: The Peaceful Hour

Published on by ciarahighamLeave a comment

Rating: 4 out of 5.

A laugh-out-loud, nostalgia-filled comedy with plenty of heart

On the surface, The Peaceful Hour seems like a classic culture clash turned love story – a posh southerner stepping into the unfamiliar world of Kirkby and falling for a local working-class mobile hairdresser. But Gerry Linford’s latest play is much more than that. It’s a witty, self-aware, and at times delightfully cheesy exploration of love, community, and belonging.

Tim, played by Jack Whittle, an anthropology student from the Cotswolds, finds himself thrown into the chaos of Julie’s Scouse family after a chance nightclub meeting. Having previously seen Whittle in TONY!, where his hilarious facial expressions added so much to the comedy, he brought the same expressive brilliance to this role, using his face to convey everything from awkward enthusiasm to sheer bewilderment. At first, he seems like an outsider, observing northern life as if it were a study. Yet, beneath his posh exterior, Tim is warm-hearted, enthusiastic, and genuinely interested in the people around him. The play cleverly questions class and socialism – can someone like Tim truly empathise with working-class struggles, or is he forever shaped by his privileged background?

For me, the standout performance comes from Lenny Wood as Carl. His character, fresh off a Spanish holiday, is a perfect blend of sharp writing and excellent comedic timing. The script paints Carl as an exaggerated stereotype of a Scouser returning from a package holiday – complete with sunburnt limbs, ridiculous shorts, and complaints about the beer abroad (despite drinking the hotel dry). Yet, it is Wood’s delivery that really elevates the role. His ability to land every punchline with effortless charm, combined with his natural stage presence, made Carl one of the most memorable characters of the night. The entire audience was laughing hysterically at his moments.

Beyond the laughs, the play beautifully illustrates the deep bonds of family and community. Julie’s family may be dysfunctional, but they stand by each other. You might expect that Tommy, technically an ex to Julie, would be shunned by the family after the end of their lacklustre relationship. Instead, he is still welcomed by the family as part of the household, reinforcing the idea that relationships in close-knit communities run deep and aren’t easily severed by break-ups.

The set design added to the play’s immersive feel, making the audience feel as if they had stepped into Julie’s living room in Kirkby. It had a cosy, lived-in aesthetic that reflected the family at the heart of the story. The lighting played a key role in establishing atmosphere, evoking the hours when The Peaceful Hour radio show would be on (10 pm-2 am). They created the feeling of being inside a flat in a tower block, using a concrete fence as a balcony, complete with graffiti.

For those familiar with 1980s Liverpool, the play is packed with nostalgia. As someone who wasn’t alive then, some references went completely over my head. This led to a post-show conversation with my mum, where I found myself asking, “Mum, who exactly is Scully?” and “Did Kirkby really have a ski slope in the 1970s?”. However, the classic 1980s soundtrack felt completely familiar to me, with big hits that have obviously stood the test of time.

Yes, the play indulges in cheesiness, but that’s the point. It explores how love manifests differently for different people – whether in romance, friendship, or family ties. The radio show itself, The Peaceful Hour, felt more like a backdrop to an already rich story, though older generations might have been initially drawn to the show itself due to the nostalgic appeal from the radio show.

Credit: Julian Guidera

IN CONVERSATION WITH: Jessica Cale 

Published on by Tabitha JamesLeave a comment

English Touring Opera’s Spring 2025 season explores Shakespeare’s influence through a new production of Bellini’s The Capulets and the Montagues. A Youngish Perspective holds this exclusive conversation with its leading soprano, Jessica Cale.

What drew you to the role of Giulietta, and how do you approach portraying such a complex character in this new production?

Bellini writes some beautiful music for Giulietta to sing in this opera, but what drew me to her character most is her vulnerability. Giulietta’s feminine energy and quiet strength is something that Eloise [Lully, Director] and I are really exploring in this particular production.

Bellini’s The Capulets and the Montagues offers a unique interpretation of the Romeo and Juliet story. How does this production differ from more traditional adaptations of the classic tale?

This is the story of Romeo and Juliet but what may surprise people is that we’re dropped straight into the drama. There is no ‘balcony’ scene, we don’t get to witness Romeo and Juliet first falling in love, instead, the audience is brought right into the heart of the political rivalry of the two families which is the backdrop for the whole love story.

You’ve had a remarkable career with performances at prestigious venues like Glyndebourne and Teatro La Fenice. How have these experiences shaped your approach to performing with English Touring Opera?

The thing I most love about opera is how varied my job can be. English Touring Opera is unique in that each performance is in a different venue so there are particular challenges that come with this kind of touring opera. As performers, we must be very secure in our character’s psychological and physical journey through the opera and then translate that into the performance space at each individual venue.

What has the rehearsal process been like for this production, and how have you collaborated with the creative team to bring Giulietta’s emotional journey to life? 

It has been so wonderful to collaborate with Eloise. We have worked pretty quickly, covering most of the blocking within two weeks, but that now gives us another two weeks to really refine our choices as well as adding detail and nuance to our characters. For Giulietta, we have been exploring her youthfulness but also her feminine power that she holds within the man’s world where we find her.

Having won the Kathleen Ferrier Award and the London Handel Festival Audience Prize, how do you balance competition success with your operatic career, and what advice would you give to young singers aspiring to follow a similar path?

Well, first of all I would say that competitions are not the be all and end all! They are certainly an amazing vehicle to test yourself, try out new repertoire, and learn how well you work under pressure but the real test is how you can build on competition success or, possibly more importantly, how you pick yourself up and carry on when things maybe don’t go to plan. You have to be resilient, dedicated, and resourceful – it can be hard work but it is so rewarding and I feel incredibly lucky that I get to call this my job!

ETO’s production of The Capulets and the Montagues opens at London’s Hackney Empire on 22 February before touring across the country.

REVIEW: Trestle

Published on by Ben BreenLeave a comment

Rating: 5 out of 5.

The power of friendship, told with charm and authenticity

When they first meet, Harry mistakes Denise for a cleaner, a faux pas he later blames on her coat (“I’ve burned it in the garden”, she quips). What begins as two strangers in a rundown community centre, helping transition it from the local political committee Harry chairs to Denise’s Zumba class, quickly evolves into snatched moments between sessions, eating their sandwiches and catching up on each other’s weeks. Propelled by Jilly Bond and Timothy Harker’s charm and chemistry, Trestle is a highly watchable, warm and intimate bottling of just how powerful friendship can be.

Beyond this, there’s no overarching plot. The narrative is driven by Harry and Denise’s weekly catch-ups, and because the audience want to share in the couple’s jokes and camaraderie this is enough. Harry – the straight-man, a little bumbling, keeping busy since becoming a widow – and Denise – bubbly, occasionally crossing the line with her humour, also keeping busy – are an easy pair to root for. Their natural rapport makes for an engrossing story: Trestle is like sitting down in front of a good log fire – charmingly down-to-earth.

Even the best-laid fires crackle with energy every once in a while, and as the friends become more entwined in each other’s lives things become more complicated. Harry attends Denise’s Zumba class (“it took me until Saturday to get my walk back”) and a party she throws on the weekend, whilst Denise is riled when she attends the local political group Harry chairs. The audience hear of these developments second-hand, confined to the wonderful intimacy of their multi-purpose meeting room. In these moments, Trestle has something important to say about community, about grief and about love. Harry and Denise remain as charming and compelling as ever, and even while their interactions become tense their mutual care shines through.

Trestle is a revival of a show which – with the same director and cast – nominated for four OFFIE awards in 2021, and it’s easy to see why. Harry and Denise feel incredibly human, jumping off the stage with their authenticity and ordinariness – it’s easy to see your parents in their later-in-life friendship, or to hope you have similar experiences in the future.

An incongruous soundtrack – EDM tunes snatched from Denise’s Zumba classes – effectively draws the line between one scene and another, whilst an uncomplicated set anchors the action in time and place. A noticeboard is an explosion of hand-written adverts and NHS Blue warning posters, and dynamic use of plastic chairs and the eponymous table lends a momentum to each scene. Such a small, intimate production – an ordinary room, with ordinary people feeling ordinary emotions – is well-suited to the Jack Studio Theatre, which is itself situated in an annexe to a working pub. Trestle is warm and cosy, evoking a sense of community that feels increasingly rare, and never feels stuffy or dull.

This may be a regular story about regular people in a small town, but that doesn’t make it any less worth telling. Spending a couple of hours with Denise and Harry in their little room prompts reflections on grief, community, politics and the vitality of human connection. More importantly, the audience can bask in the genuine warmth of their friendship, warts and all. Superb acting, writing and direction make Trestle a real treat. Come along, take a seat, and watch a beaten-up table become the foundation of an unlikely friendship.

Trestle plays at the Jack Studio Theatre until 8th March. Tickets can be purchased here.

REVIEW: Trash!

Published on by gracewallisLeave a comment

Rating: 3 out of 5.

An evening of STOMP-inspired family friendly fun but with no firm stance on recycling or the climate crisis.

In the dark chaos of half-term that only young parents will understand, TRASH! delivers a family friendly show that not only keeps the kids engaged but gives the parents a surprisingly efficient outlet as well. For the avid theatregoer (who perhaps would have preferred something a touch more “highbrow”), it was a welcome crash course in successful marketing and the making of theatre that speaks directly to your audience’s needs. In this case, that need was: ensuring the whole family had something to do together after a day of work, day care, and/or fleeting half term activities, and which ended with enough time to spare for the bedtime routine.

Produced and created by comedy and events company YLLANA, the show is 1 hour and 35 minutes of clown, song, and percussion. Set in a recycling facility, the four performers – who bear a striking resemblance to the gibberish-speaking Minions from the DESPICABLE ME franchise – cycle through a set of percussive numbers using plastic bottles, bin bags, colanders, and garbage cans. Balanced by a steady stream of narrative slapstick and physical comedy, each number explores the use of each of these recycled items as sound-making devices. At many points, the performers invite the audience to join them in relishing each discovery of a new sound. I’ll admit that it was hard not to start hitting all of the objects around me when I returned to my flat later that evening.

The show began with a beautiful piece in which three members, all cloaked in bin bags, performed a remarkable choreographed number by punching the bags from inside their plastic sheathes. One of the few moments of relative quiet in the show, it was a grounding introduction to the group’s percussive expertise, enthusiasm, and commitment to ensemble. The other highlight was founding member Gorka González’s spiritual solo on tuned propane tanks. Again, these quieter pieces gave a much needed reprieve from the rest of the show’s ear-blasting rapture.

Where the show veered from my thorough enjoyment was the lack of a throughline in the story.  I was excited to see what YLLANA had to offer the ripe field of environmental communication through theatre, especially in a show marketed to children, who will be most impacted by the climate crisis. It was disappointing to learn that the show leaned more on stand-alone, high energy numbers and slapstick comedy than it did on any one unified message of hope or action to the kids in the audience. 

More specifically, as a show marketed as a story about recycling – an extremely relevant and time-old popular topic in the performing and visual arts –  it could have been more convincing in its message on recycling. Instead, it seemed a bit tone-deaf to the current cultural moment, in which many are doubting the efficacy of recycling as just another scheme by fossil fuel companies (whose revenue streams rely largely on selling the raw materials for plastic production) to distract attention from their lucrative role in the climate emergency. At one point, a voiceover mentioned cutting down on consumption in general – which, given the relevant doubts about recycling, could have been the central message – but that message was quickly overpowered by the wonder of hitting trash to make exciting noises. 

Additionally, for a show about recycling, it wasn’t clear that the objects they were using were actually recycled. Perhaps they had conveniently found four of the same colanders, umbrellas, and toolboxes. Nevertheless, the optics of truly found, unique objects could have brought a bigger punch. No doubt, it is probably immensely difficult to find objects that produce those kinds of sounds and can also sustain that level of daily percussive force. That said, it’s the price you pay if you’re going to do a show about recycling with a tangible message.

About mid-way through the show, I noticed the dad sitting in front of me was clapping louder than his own son. He didn’t seem to mind any of the things that forked at my attention – a good reminder that the show certainly served an important purpose for all those families who palpably enjoyed their mid-week theatre outing. In many ways, it was refreshing to sit in such a rowdy audience, while so many of the “highbrow” audiences these days can take on a downright funereal quietude, making you doubt if you have a right to be there at all. It is my hope that more pieces like TRASH! take to prestigious stages like the Peacock but also challenge themselves and their audiences to move beyond simply the realm of entertainment, especially when the climate crisis is one of the characters in the story.

Trash! runs until the 1st March