Internationally renowned Disabled artist Marc Brew and Sadler’s Wells Associate Artist Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui have collaborated to present an Accident / a Life, a profound theatrical exploration of the moment that Marc’s life changed forever.
At just 20 years old, Brew lost three friends and his ability to walk in a devastating car accident. Yet his career as a dancer was not destroyed. Blending dance, poetry, and multimedia theatre, this unmissable performance celebrates Brew’s resilience, humour, and unbreakable spirit in the face of unimaginable trauma. An Accident / a Life is as heartwarming as it is heartbreaking, a deeply moving tribute to survival, transformation, and the power of art.
The creatives’ ability to find opportunity in the face of adversity is not only reflected in the story but also underpins their striking staging. As explained during their post-show discussion, the live camera filming Brew onstage, projecting his performance onto screens also placed on stage, derived from the restraints of the Covid-19 pandemic, where platforms like Zoom became one of our few avenues for live theatre. This camera, that rarely leaves Brew’s face or limbs, and the enlarged images on the screens make his every move vulnerable to the audience’s gaze. Cleverly, this acts as a visual metaphor alluding to the performance’s core message: in order to accept and eventually embrace change, we must confront it.
Though the message is ultimately uplifting, Brew and Cherkaoui construct an unsettling performance. The use of masks show the layers of both physical and emotional protection that Brew built to process his trauma. These masks are used creatively, twisted onto the back of Brew’s head to distort his body. Most poignantly, the car dangling above his head throughout the performance breeds an unavoidable tension, seemingly about to drop at any moment, just as his life was changed.
Brew’s narration rarely wavers from his calm, unemotional tone, enhancing the unease by delivering a stark contrast to the extreme emotions. His dancing, albeit breathtakingly impressive, is unsettling as he contorts his body, wrapping his paralysed legs around his head, using his arms to transport himself around the stage and his hands to add detail to his movements. Beyond the story presented on stage that covers his journey home to Australia from South Africa, where the crash took place, the very act of Brew’s performance, rising from near death to international dance success, makes this performance intensely inspirational.
What makes this performance so captivating is Brew’s spirit, void of self-pity and filled with an optimistic resourcefulness. Slicing through the tension between life and death, he introduces a silliness, singing songs with playful props and movement. As the spotlight shines upon him, Brew leans into his family, friends, and his love for dance to cope with and find a light amongst his darkest moments so that he can embark on his new life: “I had to stop listening to people. I had to listen to my heart. I had to keep dancing.”
In a world where challenges seem exponential, an Accident / a Life affirms how art can be a lifeline for humanity. It is the exact kind of theatre that needs to be showcased right now, and it is a privilege to be told part of Brew’s story. It is no wonder the show received two National Dance Award nominations in 2024 for Best Modern Choreography and Outstanding Male Modern Performance.
Runs until 27 September 2025
