Writers and Directors: Julie McNamara and Hassan Mahamdallie
Footage of real women relating their personal experiences of racial prejudice opens the show, with captions. An imagined commentary follows as to possible consequences of the situation, filmed like a news commentary. The first physical scene is Detective Shade (Deni Francis) being brainwashed by Doctor Emmet (Lottie Bell).
Shade is ordered to find the killer of Aileen Burnett (Lottie Bell) found murdered in her flat. Burnett is outcast for having married a ‘black’ man; two of their children are dead but the state wishes to track down the other two, this is Shade’s mission. Her search unfolds the story, being completely revealed in the second half. Working class white women crossed the colour line to marry men from Windrush. Their unimaginable defiance and bravery going against society helped lay foundations for a multi-cultural society.
On April 20th 1965, Wolverhampton MP Enoch Powell delivered his infamous ‘Rivers of Blood’ speech, criticising the 1965 Relations Bill and immigration in general. Set in a dystopian society, the production follows an imaginary route that may have occurred over 60 years to 2028, if the conservative Prime Minister, Edward Health, had not immediately sacked Powell from the cabinet for inciting racial tensions. A social statement and a political piece with efficacious exposure of ignominious injustice, rather than a simple play.
Hassan Mahamdallie, playwright, writer and director, who was born into an Indio Trinidadian and English family, created Dervish Productions, making radical theatre. Julie McNamara, also a playwright, director, actor and poet, is the founder and former artistic director of Vital Xposure, a disabled-led theatre company; both writers are social activists and strongly believe in diversity and equality in the arts.
There are captions (Paul Burgess) and BSL (Clare Edwards) – sometimes both are absent, occasionally with an actor standing in front of the BSL screen. Any captioning or BSL should be constant and clearly visible. Filmed actors are projected onto two areas, with the one angled not as clearly as the one face on to the audience. The white captions on the angled grey flat are very pale yet on the other flat clear – why not put all the captions on the one clearly seen flat? The reason could be technical difficulties but no announcement was made and this is the seventh show.
Two boxes moved between most scenes break the flow when often they could be used if left. Two characters are filmed on screen when they could be on stage with who they are talking to, or as in one instance a voiceover. The actors, some playing multiple roles, Fiona Whitelaw plays Mary Khan, Tracy and Betty Grogan, are very convincing in an almost Orwellian situation. The ‘cleansing’ techniques and punishments are reminiscent of Nazi Germany even using a clenched chest salute to England Arise! This is a slice of history, a great story that needs to be told, somewhat swamped with technical wizardry, often hindering more than enhancing it; sometimes ‘less is more’.
Runs until 13th October 2022, before continuing on tour.
