Writer: James Kenworth
Director: Dario Knight
The London Borough of Newham has been the location for a slew of celebrity encounters, and host to a large and diverse number of interesting people. The playwright James Kenworth has demonstrated this by writing a series of Newham Plays, of which this, Myrninerest, is the sixth.
All of the plays are mounted with a commitment to casting local young actors, all of them are mounted in venues that James Kenworth describes as ‘site sympathetic’, meaning the venue’s location speaks to the subject of the play, without necessarily being a location associated with the play’s events. This seems to broadly mean finding venues in Newham for the Newham plays, and going somewhat off-piste to make things interesting.
Consequently, Upton Park resident Madge Gill is commemorated in the Albert Dock, in a studio full of windows and views of the area. It is interesting, but it isn’t Upton Park. It is also a problematic playing space – obviously, lighting doesn’t feature in a room full of unshaded windows, but the use of a top balcony for several scenes including the introduction of Madge’s spirit guide Myrninerest, dynamically played by Lucy Gray, is very awkward. The balcony overhangs the audience and blocks the view for many of them, making her entrance less dramatic than it should be. The set, asymmetric washing lines loaded with linens, makes for an intriguing backdrop through which characters emerge, but the heart of the play is the desk at which Madge Gill works, producing literally thousands of artworks between the stillbirth of an unnamed daughter in 1920 and the premature death of her eldest son in 1958, all inspired by her spirit guide.
The play makes no comment on the spiritualist aspects of Madge Gill’s creativity, her seances and teacup readings are presented as matter-of-factly as the presence of Myrninerest, who is everpresent at Madge’s side. This is powerful, leading to a vivid acting relationship between Lucy Gray and Anna Marks Pryce (playing Madge) and gives them some nice choreographed sequences. More conversation between these two central characters might have revealed the spiritual source of her art more fully.
The company, made up of four professional actors and seven ‘young actors’ from the local community, is rooted in the area, its intentions are noble, and its outreach admirable.
James Kenworth has done a fine job animating the biography of a Newham artist, making a case for her significance, telling her extraordinary story. The lack of discussion of the influence of spiritualism on her art is, however, a missed opportunity. Madge Gill and mental health is examined in the piece, Madge Gill and her relationship with her spirit guide is unexplored.
Runs until 1 September 2024
