Fresh Air

The lights dimmed, the curtains opened, an atmospheric piece of music played as a gobo projected distorted, wispy patterns onto the black box set. Eleven young actors drifted onto the stage, dressed in grey and black costumes, reminiscent of old school pinafore dresses, but were also somehow timeless. They moved individually but cleverly seemed to become one entity as they jerked and twisted, forming intriguing, creepy shapes with their bodies, breathing heavily, as if gasping for air. They dropped to the ground. Were they seeds? Cells in a pair of lungs? As they grew and evolved, they developed into saplings or maybe alveoli, and then into fully grown trees or the bronchioles of a lung. And there they remained throughout the whole play, our chorus of trees, performing constantly, a living, breathing backdrop to the unfolding narrative.

Then the ghosts appeared, confirming what the audience already certainly suspected, that these woods were haunted. Five spirits still walked the earth, tormented by unfinished business and unresolved emotions; spirits of children who had died in the 1920s whilst suffering from Tuberculosis in a nearby sanatorium. These roles were taken by Eliza Hughes, Penelope Haggarty, Harry Mack, Finabi Hirst and Chloe McCullough, and each actor gave an impressive performance. Their disturbing expressions and hypnotic stares were masterfully controlled to unsettle the audience and generate some genuinely frightening moments. The jump scares were particularly well performed, and I nearly spilt my drink on at least two occasions.

The final group of young actors took the roles of contemporary children and served to drive the plot forward. They were students from a Pupil Referral Unit on an outward-bound style, orienteering exercise in the woods; each character facing their own individual life challenges. There was Alisha played by Heidi Farrell, a young person with anger issues struggling to cope with bouts of aggression. Heidi performed these outbursts in a powerful yet sensitive way and should be congratulated for not being too melodramatic during these scenes which added an excellent level of realism. Her friend, Millie, a neat, well-dressed teenager with evidence of OCD was played by Emily Wood. I really enjoyed Emily’s portrayal and loved the difference in her character at the beginning of the play and then the end. Her preoccupation with getting mud on her clothes contrasted brilliantly with Emily’s tangible joy at having dirt underneath her fingernails.

Boe Wills’ flip-flop wearing performance as Brian was fabulous. It was an interesting character, full of contradictions, and that can be a challenge to an actor, however Boe rose to that challenge. She proved her versatility as her character moved from broad comedy through pathos to angst-ridden emotion. The role of Erin, a young arsonist searching for a sense of belonging, was played by Georgina Robinson with enviable character acting skills. I loved her feisty, forthright characterisation which slowly revealed glimmers of her true vulnerability. Matthew Swinney took the part of football fanatic, Charlie, a young man desperately trying to connect with his father. Matthew’s performance was superb in its subtlety, he underplayed his character’s insecurities and helplessness which, in turn, made it all the more powerful. I only wish the script had afforded him more stage time as I would have liked to have seen more of his acting.

The remaining two members of this group were Holly and Lee, played respectively by Anna Harrison and Rob Bingham and both gave outstanding performances in very different ways. Secluded from the mainstream due to her young carer duties, Holly is anxious and socially awkward; a loner, the girl who nobody notices, the ‘empty seat in the class’. A ghost in life herself, Holly relates to the spirits in the woods and Anna’s delivery of her monologue to these apparitions was brilliantly executed as were her meticulous expressions throughout the piece which spoke volumes, quietly observing the action, quietly in control. In contrast, Rob’s performance as Lee was big, bold and impactful. He bounded onto the stage with such force and energy, it immediately lit up, and he sustained this stage presence throughout. His naturalistic acting brought a truth and dynamism to his characterisation, and he used facial expressions and pauses to great effect. His monologue was beautifully delivered and directed, full of angst and love and fear and confusion. Incredible.

Directors, Maria Bates and Jo Moules, should be commended for guiding, supporting and enabling their talented young cast to bring such impressive performances to Sleaford Playhouse’s stage. They have given their actors an invaluable opportunity to tackle an intriguing, thought-provoking script, full of realistic dialogue, but also poetic language. The pace and rhythm were strong which ensured the piece maintained a real momentum, and although enunciation could occasionally have been sharper, Maria and Jo had clearly tutored their cast in good projection and diction. I loved the choreography of the ‘trees’ with its continual flow of eerie movement and the following performers should be immensely proud of the life they breathed into the story: Ren Brooke, Ava Eastwood, Sophia Farmery, Louise Hardman, Kaleisha La Ronde, Amy Lamming, Beth Markham, Sophia Morton, Kai Newitt, Charlotte Patterson and Nyah Spanswick. It’s a long list but I feel it’s so important to acknowledge their overall contribution to the play as a whole.

The production values were high and a testament to how good the team were that Maria and Jo had ensembled. The sound design, including music, was excellent, always serving to enhance the atmosphere and not distract, I loved the use of the soundscapes created by the cast. Lighting is particularly important if a black box set is used, and Callum Thursby and the directors should be congratulated on a design that complimented the style and themes of the play perfectly. The only element which didn’t work for me, and this is a personal preference, was the use of torches to light faces. For me, it’s become a little clichéd and I’m not sure how effective it is. The sound and lighting cues were spot on, no technical hitches at all, well done to technicians Dan Johnson and Callum Thursby. The costumes were great and enriched the characterisation, as did the hair styles by Libbie Roberts; I especially liked the twigs woven through the hair of the ‘trees’.

In conclusion, this was a prime example of what good youth theatre, and theatre as a whole, can and should look like. It was slick, experimental, exciting, captivating. Huge congratulations to the young cast, directors, Jo and Maria, stage manager, Amanda Grant, and the whole team - the academy are undoubtedly an enormous asset to Sleaford Little Theatre and this production was a triumph.

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