Dismissed – Soho Theatre, London

Writer: Daniel Rusteau

Director: Nikhil Vyas

Sociology teacher Ashley Fraser is desperate to make a difference. Working in a lowly-ranked school in London, she’s determined to fight bias and bureaucracy with attention and care, doing everything she can to put her pupils on the right path. But when Tyler; one of her favourite students, is caught with a knife, it’s up to Ashley how to handle it – does she risk her career to give him a chance, or does she report it knowing that it could harm his future forever?

This is a well-performed story, with a variety of interesting moral debates and discussions at the heart of it. Ashley (Georgia-Mae Myers) champions the patience, not punishment, approach to knife crime, while headteacher Susan (Rebecca Crankshaw) takes the strict stance of ruling with an iron fist. Additional teachers Jonathan (Jon McGuinness) and Dennis (Corey Montague-Sholay) support each argument with their own insights, while also serving as tension relievers at points with their witty remarks and humorous retorts. Bonnie Baddoo (Tyler’s mum Erica) is also a fantastic addition, by taking the storyline away from the school and into the home, momentarily glimpsing into how upbringing and family also have an impact. All of the performers do an excellent job of showcasing each conflicting argument or point of view clearly and concisely, allowing the audience to build up their own opinions throughout the show.

The pupil in question, nor the knife, are never present on stage, ensuring the focus is entirely on the debate on how to approach crime, as well as race / class biases and the state-funded education system. By keeping the spotlight on the solutions, rather than the problems, Director Nikhil Vyas and writer Daniel Rusteau allow each of the messages to be fully examined and understood. The spotlight on how young, black boys from poorer areas are treated in comparison to their white, middle-class counterparts – both at school and within their family dynamics – is an integral part of the storyline, written with poignancy and insightfulness.

Knife crime has sadly risen at an alarming rate within young people, so the focus on different approaches to justice, structural racism and institutionalised systems is a fantastic starting point to initiating conversations and making changes.

Runs until 3 June 2023