Everything Theatre Reviews, interviews and news for theatre lovers, London and beyond
Mary Pollard reviews her year with Everything Theatre
It’s the end of 2024 and the boss has asked us all to write about the year in review. Of course, mine is one of the last articles to hit his inbox because my speciality is Theatre for Young Audiences (TYA) and I’ve been stupidly busy attending shows right up until Christmas! It’s an odd reminder that people often only pay attention to this phenomenal sector when the festive season arrives.
Anyone who knows me will be aware I’m on a mission to make the world aware of the incredible skill and innovation that goes into making work for young people. They’re a tough audience, so it has to be quality stuff. I was privileged to speak at Polka Theatre’s Big Dreams industry day in September, where I was asked why I want to review this work. Part of my answer was that whereas much of the theatre industry is notoriously inward-looking and narcissistic, TYA seeks to actively serve a hugely diverse audience. It’s a space for inclusivity and intersectionality, addressing access needs and empowering children to see and hear their stories represented in society.
Some productions this year have been complex, visually impressive and meticulously choreographed, like Theatre-Rites’ immersive adventure, Journey of Refugee, which evocatively takes you in the footsteps of someone coming to Britain having been forced to leave their home. Tim Crouch’s Toto Kerblammo! used astonishing binaural sound in a moving, visceral experience, making the audience literally listen differently to the words of a child in crisis.
Huge respect for children is often shown through exceptional production quality, demonstrated in The Princess and the Pea, where a team of extraordinarily talented acrobats scaled a 16-high tower of mattresses for an audience aged 2+! I’ve viewed absolutely world class puppetry in the crafted adaptation of Kafka’s tales, Lottie the Travelling Doll, beautiful drag-based theatre for under 5s in I Wish, and a thrillingly exciting hip hop adaptation of Shakespeare’s Romeo & Juliet.
But alongside the work for children – and aware the world often perceives it as lesser – I have consciously attended high end, complex productions, to keep my reviewing credentials high. This has led me into the world of sensory theatre, including a revelatory visit to Oily Cart Theatre Company and being stunned by the work of CripticARTS, a disabled-led company full of both humour and defiant revolution. I’ve reviewed an immersive, walkthrough celebrating past and present in The Belt, fusing the gently faded grandeur of the Edwardian Coronet playhouse with relentless 21st century Korean techno-hip-hop. I’ve been exhilarated by Paco Pena and Akram Kahn at Sadler’s Wells, but could the next day easily have been on the water in the Puppet Theatre Barge or at the tiny Little Angel Theatre, supporting their amazing and international Puppet Festival.
Our work at ET is not just about ‘judging’ shows from above. It’s also about offering insight, giving attention or visibility to a fragile theatre industry and working together. ET has often supported the work of Synergy Theatre, who this year invited us to a production in a prison, helping us understand the implications of how drama can literally change lives. We’ve also featured the young people at SPID, in the shadow of Grenfell Tower, growing in confidence and talent as they fight social housing injustice.
Part of an active network, we try our best to help. More than once this year I’ve received emotional messages from small companies rejoicing that in my 500 words they have finally been taken seriously and feel unusually seen. This underscores some real absences in industry support, but it also reinforces that I’m doing the right thing; creating a space where looking at the world unconventionally is to be celebrated. And it’s been a whole load of fun! This year, why not follow us at ET and come along for an extraordinary ride.
Want to join the team and get to experience the vast range of theatre our reviewers get to see each year? Then we’re eager to hear from you. You don’t need lots of experience, just a love of theatre and writing, we’ll help you turn that into amazing reviews. More information can be found here.
