Writers: Victoria Buse, Whitney Glover, Peter Rose, Emily Swettenham and Susanna Wolff
Broken Silence Theatre continues to build its reputation for showcasing high-quality new writing with the newest instalment in the Voices From Home series. With contributions from over twenty actors, writers and performers across the three nights, this presentation at Theatre503 offers an impressive platter of rising talent to behold.
This seventh volume sees a new group of writers from the South East take on themes such as parenting, nightlife, friendship and stones and is produced once again in collaboration with Pistachio Theatre. This collection of scenes with be repeated for a second night, before an evening of monologue pieces rounds off the new festival format.
The evening is bookended by its strongest pieces, The Next Generation by Victoria Buse and Match Book by Peter Rose, each of which showcases a skilfully written relationship drama anchored in a dystopian future. Buse’s writing is brilliantly unnerving in the way it discusses ‘minorities’ of the future while unpacking the hopes parents project onto their unborn children. Kitty Evans and Andy Sellers have fantastic energy together as they naturally bicker and clash in a very human way.
Match Book feels particularly reminiscent of Black Mirror with its bleak speculation on the future of matchmaking. However cold the process may seem, Kahmal Sealey and Charis Murray completely delight the audience with a hilarious and tense preview of a potential relationship, packed to the brim with personality.
Comedy is a recurring strong point of the night, with Jennifer Aries and Gennifer Becouarn also triumphing as exhausted mums in Susanna Wolff’s End of Term Vomit. The pair perfects the humour of the quick switch between cheeky gossiping and parental threats, with their characterful performances doing complete justice to the comic potential of Wolff’s laugh-out-loud writing.
Voices From Home’s newest volume is a safe bet for existing fans and a fantastic introduction for new audiences.
Runs until 2 August 2024
The Reviews Hub Score
High-quality new writing
