Uprising

Uprising is a double bill comprising Got to start somewhere by Patricia Cornelius and This age wanted heroes by Melissa Reeves. The two plays are linked by the concept of “protest”.

After 90 minutes, this viewer realised she was not alone in feeling overwhelmed by the media. Universally, it seems, it is agreed that there is too much information and the issues are overwhelming. Social Media promotes inadequacy, prompting the questions “what can one person do?” and “where are all my friends?” It emerges that our friends, often isolated in the same ether, are experiencing the same issues.

Got to start somewhere is, of the two plays, more stylised and serious. The set consists of a wire fence and the notion of escape becomes a leitmotif between episodes. The piece is surreal with some well-choreographed ensemble work, for example, the wolf pack bent on revenge. Dialogue overlaps in a style that is declamatory and Twitter-like. Individual voices overlay each other in a chorus which ebbs and flows and feeds on itself.

The first episode explores the concept of being numb to sensation, likening the phenomenon to a disease of pandemic potential.  The piece then explores what it is like to be bullied and vilified and the ways in which words and actions have great potential to harm. The attack on the girl in the hijab could have been taken from the comments section on a Facebook post.

The second play, This age wanted heroes, ties this together in a lighter manner. This is played out in a warehouse situation behind which are juxtaposed moving images of war, poverty, hunger and loss. A group of young people, having aided a young refugee to escape from internment, lapse into self-congratulation, self-indulgence and gluttony. There are moments of self-loathing, guilt and even self-harm because these young people cannot help being trivial, forgetful and caught up in their own pleasures. What is highlighted is the desire of these young people to make changes in the world and yet they cannot help being hedonistic and thoughtless at the same time.

The whole Is supported by excellent lighting (Max Ford) and a soundscape (Heath Brown).  The palette of blacks and blues in the costumes and lighting further evokes the ubiquity of the media.

The cast is large and it would be difficult to single out one cameo in what was an excellent ensemble piece.

Anne Blythe-Cooper