Ashes

On Saturday 6th July, I was very pleased to be invited to join the audience for ACross the Boards Theatre School’s one act play for this year, ‘Ashes’. The play was written and directed by Anna Cross and featured a cast of three young performers.

In the play, a group of friends agree to spend Halloween night in a derelict school, which burned down in 1926. As you might expect for a spooky tale of teenage hijinks on the scariest night of the year, it doesn’t take long for things to take a supernatural turn. From bumps in the night to ghostly possessions, this short play has it all!

ACross the Boards have been operating for six years, and offer a one act play each summer, which is written for and tailored to the particular skills and talents of their senior acting group - a good idea which allows these emerging performers to spread their wings. Last year’s piece was a comedy but this year, writer/director Anna Cross wanted to take things in a very different direction, to put her actors to the test. ‘Ashes’ was conceived as a play which would keep the audience guessing, and ensure they were gripped throughout - a mission which I would say was largely successful.

‘Ashes’ was performed in the company’s base, St Margaret’s Church Hall in St Annes, and was a stripped-back and simple piece of theatre. There was a small, intimate audience of enthusiastic supporters, who had made the difficult decision to forego England’s quarter final Euro game against Switzerland - kudos to them! This was a very straightforward studio performance, making use of a largely bare stage, a few chairs and some basic props, all of which were well-suited to the piece itself. It was nice to see the company adapting their work to suit the space itself, making good use of the entrances and exits provided. There was a notable moment when the girls burst through a serving hatch, which was a really good idea and almost made the play feel site specific. Minimal lighting was used in the play, which could have been down to the constraints of the space but due to the nature of the performance, was made to feel natural and logical. Music, sound effects and projection were used well in the piece, and helped to create a sense of realism and intrigue. If I was to give any constructive feedback of the staging, I would say that I might personally have experimented with presenting the play in the round, which would potentially have pulled the audience into the heart of the narrative and increased their connection to the emotional intensity of the show.

On, then, to the performances of the young actors. Alice, a nervous, energetic character was played by thirteen-year-old Amelia Holloway, who carried herself with poise and dignity, whilst navigating her way through a number of challenging scenes and jump-scares. Amelia told me after the show that she is predominantly a dancer, and this was evident in the way in which she held herself and moved with the confidence of a seasoned performer. I would encourage her to find some moments within the text to pause, breathe and take stock of what the character is experiencing because at a few points, I felt she caught herself rushing lines, when she could have controlled the pace of a scene a little more effectively. Nonetheless, she gave a strong performance which was, I thought, beyond her years. Well done, Amelia.

The role of Ivy was played by fourteen-year-old Holly Eliza Cross who, like Amelia, performed beyond her years. There was a sense of maturity in Holly’s performance which made me check the programme more than once because I was surprised she was just fourteen. Holly controlled her voice particularly well, and projected in such a way that lines were hard to miss. Again, like Amelia before her, Holly occasionally lost her grip of pace and could have benefitted from exploring some quieter, slower moments but overall, these are minor bits of feedback for a performer who gave a very good account of herself on the night.

Rounding out the small cast was seventeen-year-old Lola Connor-Emmott, playing the character of Mia. This is a performer with a bright future ahead of her, if she continues to hone her craft and engage with a wide-range of performance work. From the moment Lola walked out, she delivered energy, focus and leadership. Throughout the play, she demonstrated sharp comic timing and a penchant for delivering acidic one-liners, which she did with a knowing twinkle in her eye. I often criticise young performers for forgetting to remain totally in character throughout a piece, and I know how easy it is for them to get into the habit of simply delivering a line and then just waiting until it’s their turn to speak again. Lola is not this type of performer. When she was on stage, she was immersed in her character, delivering lines with nuance and actively engaging with everything that the other performers were saying and doing. This is how you take the next step in your performance career. If I was to give her some constructive criticism, I would advise Lola to remember the importance of adapting your volume levels to the space in which you’re performing. She occasionally wandered into shouting, which would have been fine on a larger stage but was slightly jarring in a studio performance. A very minor grumble!

I really enjoyed my evening with ACross the Boards and very much look forward to seeing what they produce next. Thanks for the warm welcome and I wish you all the very best for your next project.

 

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