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Innovative and integrated BSL and audio description propel the progression of a well-crafted story. Summary
Rating
Excellent
Having had a satisfying career as a detective, Chris (Gillian Dean) is forced to survive by claiming benefits as a result of a medical condition that causes constant pain and a gradual deterioration of her sight and mobility. However, she must retake the eligibility test following the introduction of a new system that is designed to encourage people who are technically able to work to return to employment.
As a story that focuses on disability, the play has thoroughly embedded both audio description and BSL interpretation. This is the key standout feature of this production: not only do these elements describe the actions on stage, they are an integral part of the narrative and directly interact with the characters. Chris initially engages with a digital assistant, Able (Richard Conlon), to manage the supportive systems in her house, and puts the BSL interpreter, Francis (Emery Hunter), on her TV as a reminder of her late mother. Later on, Able and Francis are reconfigured as actual imaginary characters that become Chris’s accomplices in executing the plan to keep her on benefits.
The play explores the meaning and reality of disability, negative perceptions of the capabilities of those deemed disabled, and how the support provided is too generalised. In this story, Chris is assessed by Ralph (Neil John Gibson) through a recorded interview using standardised questions and measures to encourage the assessed to be truthful in their responses. The questions are both intrusive and demeaning, yet full of trickery designed to ‘empower’ the assessed to realise how capable they are. Ultimately, this is a reflection of the current benefits system and the positioning of the claimant with the authority, the latter showing little appreciation of individuals’ challenges and prescribing a constructed system that makes it ever more difficult for disabled people to get the support they need. However, there may be a hint of redemption offered through some insight into Ralph’s life and the introduction of his wife, Jude (Nicola Chegwin), who is a wheelchair user.
Chris and Ralph are contrasting characters. Chris is agitated, nervous and powerless, while Ralph is calm, methodical and the one that can decide Chris’s fate with the click of a button. Deanand Gibsonmarvellously execute their respective roles, simultaneously portraying the dire urgency of Chris’s situation and creating howls of laughter through the two characters’ dialogue exchange. As bystanders and later imaginary accomplices, Able and Francis add another layer to this story and are often the source of comedy to lighten an otherwise tense situation. Grant Anderson’s lighting is used effectively, highlighting specific moments of the play that represent Chris’s desperation, inner thoughts and lunacy, the latter of which fantastically complements the introduction of the imaginary Able and Francis as real people.
Despite the fact that there is ample humour in this play, it does not undermine the seriousness of the challenges faced by disabled people. Furthermore, while it has become more common to have audio and BSL assistance in stage productions, it is rare and thus exceptional innovative to use these traditionally supportive elements to create actual characters with distinctive personalities that aid a plot’s progression.
Written by: Rob Drummond
Directed by: Robert Softley Gale
Design by: Kenneth MacLeod
AV design by: Jamie MacDonald
Composed by: Scott Twynholm
Lighting Design by: Grant Anderson
Produced by Birds of Paradise
Don’t. Make. Tea. plays at Soho Theatre until 6 April. Further information and bookings can be found here.
