message to all those voices screaming into the abyss, unanswered but not forgotten.
Detention is an homage to the Queer community. Taking it back to the ’80s, Detentiongives voice to those that suffered under AIDs, Section 28, and an outdated societal mindset. Against the backdrop of the Thatcher government and 1984-85 Miner’s strike, one narrator, five dancers, and five members of the London Queer community present their stories of life and love.
“It is all a process of translation” (Clarke, 04/06/2025); that is how Gary Clarke crafts his heart-rending works of theatre. It is translating history into words, words into emotion, emotion into movement, and movement into what it means to be human. The phrases are so natural that it is easy to forget that you are watching a choreographed work. The staging is faultless, the props are brilliantly used, and the mix of music and spoken word is nothing short of genius.
The Narrator, Lewey Hellewell, is amongst the most gifted orators I’ve ever had the pleasure of witnessing. His voice is unique and there is something Orwellian in the way that he presents himself and the stories being told. He is both eerie and amusing, and the way he lives the words in his voice and body is haunting. The dancers, Alexandra Bierlaire, Gavin Coward, Alex Gosmore, Mayowa Ogunnaike, and Imogen Wright, are marvelous. The vulnerability and athleticism of each performer is captivating. The naturalism which Clarke strives for translated perfectly into their movement; it does have the unfortunate effect of pushing the dancers out of sync. While Clarke openly aims for a messiness in his work the complete lack of synchronicity, even at times when they are clearly meant to be moving as one, is frustrating. The power of the message and individual artists almost entirely eclipses this flaw.
The community cast members are the piece that push Detention into greatness. Their experiences as Queer individuals makes this performance personal. It is clear from the opening sequence that every individual on that stage is invested. It is a deeply personal show and the love and trust amongst the cast is evident. Clarke set out to fill a gap in dance theatre with the experiences and stories of blue collar lives and has undoubtedly succeeded.
The most powerful scenes of the performance begin with a phone call. Each artist calls the LGBT switchboard in crisis, an operator (played by a community cast member) answers but never speaks again. Through Hellewell’s haunting narration and the dancer’s movement a one-sided cry for help comes to life.
These are the stories of real people. A man who’s tested positive for AIDs, a woman whose family is being torn apart, a child beaten and tossed out simply because of who they love. “That is our story,” Mike Jackson of the community cast explained “When I pick that phone up, that’s exactly what I was doing 40 years ago.”.
Homosexuality is still a crime in 64 countries. This isn’t just the stories of yesterday, it is the story of now.