Writers: Hassan Abdulrazzak, Zia Ahmed, Mojisola Adebayo, Philip Arditti, Sonali Bhattacharyya, Nina Bowers, Roxy Cook, Waleed Elgadi, Ed Edwards, Dawn King, Ahmed Masoud, Joel Samuels and Sami Abu Wardeh
Directors: Cressida Brown and Kirsty Housley
Cutting the Tightrope: The Divorce Between Politics and Art returns to the Arcola Theatre for an extended performance with two additional mini-plays examining war, censorship and silencing of voices in the arts in response to the conflict in Palestine primarily but branching out into British colonialism, present-day political apathy and weapons funding, as well as the very human-focused stories of atrocities, destruction and the experience of being displaced. Written as individual responses, there are natural differences in quality and effectiveness, but the collective messages are certainly clear enough.
Previously performed earlier this year and with a cast of eight, Cutting the Tightrope is an ensemble piece with a clear collective purpose. Each titled play is constructed differently, like a sketch show with some monologues, multi-character narratives and direct addresses to the audience, while some pieces have historical or dead protagonists, but none of them are specifically attributed to one writer or their cast. This is, then, more of an open letter that everyone has signed addressed to audiences, politicians and the arts industry that is itself a form of dramatic activism.
Some of the responses are about suppression in the arts from playwrights being unable to earn commissions because their work is too direct, as with Dare Not Speak, second on the bill, about a first-hand experience pitched to a creative director who insists the concept and the language be watered down, or the young artist in Piece Five, Suitable Subjects, who is told “it is better not have opinions” by her boyfriend’s parents who she is meeting for the first time.
Act Two pushes further with a voice piece from a creative recalling restrictions on what they are allowed to write, along with the closing piece Burger and Chips, focused on the frustrations of those on the receiving end of racism, Islamophobia and persecution to “rise above” and not react. It ends by calling out the failures of UK theatre to create platforms for political work and the impact of censorship on art and the artists, but also on supporting better-informed conversation. One of the best, 46 Women Attempt a Question, begins with Diane Abbott being ignored by the House of Commons speaker and evolves into a cumulative impression of political men around the world dismissing and refusing to see women.
Individually, some of the more abstract segments, like Watermelon, fail to land, while the short space allotted to Maulvi’s Head and Vranyo isn’t long enough to really dig into the historical context or their satirical approach. Cutting the Tightrope has the stop-start momentum of an anthology, which makes it harder to invest in an approach that bounces from first-hand testimony to satire and political speeches, but there is power in this collective endeavour if they can find the right people to listen.
Runs until 7 December 2024
