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Starting Out
Birmingham Rep Door
**** WOMEN & Theatre are a Birmingham based
company who put the community at the heart of their projects. Working in and around the local area, they aim to
explore society’s current issues directly with the people who are most
affected. Their outreach
programmes include working residential and probation settings. To make
art accessible for all is the crux of their company. Taking research and
inspiration from interviews with local women,
Starting Out explores the experiences
of young women in the workplace and shows us the emotions surrounding
the pressures of embarking in the new world of work. Women & Theatre
recently performed For the Past 30
Years at the REP, which took
inspiration from women looking back at their careers. In
Starting Out,
the company show the opposite side of the spectrum to highlight the
daily experiences of the young, as they look towards the future. Director Caroline Wilkes interweaves beautiful
writing and dynamic performances to deliver an artistic message to all.
This project highlights the struggles that many do not see on the
surface. It goes beyond the ever-growing expectations and unbreakable
personas that are so easily overlooked. It shows the enthusiasm of the
young that is far too easily taken for granted. The play has a simple but strong format. Five
monologues written by local writers are performed by five actors, each
sharing an experience of the complexity of finding work in the
professional world as a young woman. There is a clear definition within
each writer’s voice and with every monologue the universal outcome is
that demands and expectations are becoming impossible. In the first monologue,
Charlene James presents Standing Tall
performed by Jalleh Alizadeh. It shows the story of a young woman about
to finish a year-long internship. Despite working illegal hours for
virtually no pay, we see a one-sided environment without loyalty to
employees which is all too familiar in the modern day. James packs a
punch with descriptions of feelings of intimidation when being refused a
pay rise. Whispers
is written by local artist and theatre maker Manjeet Mann and was
performed by Rosalyn Norford. Mann recently performed at the REP with
her brilliant one-woman show Flying
Solo. In
Whispers,
Mann explored the mental struggle that young women face when they
suddenly enter the world of work. She describes her piece as the lesser
known tragedy of graduate depression and shows the audience that the
dream that was sold at university is not exactly the present reality.
Mann’s exploration into constant rejection posts the idea of devastating
effects. In
The 3rd AD,
writer Lorna Laidlaw explores the working life of a young woman within
the arts sector. Perhaps Laidlaw has seen the struggle within the
workplace first hand, as she is most known for her performances in the
local television drama Doctors. Luanda Holness presents Laidlaw’s piece which
pays particular attention to hierarchies within the workplace, with the
given expectation to work from the bottom up. Laidlaw adds an extra
layer when duties at home clash with the demands of work. Writer Susie Sillett
shows the constant change of emotions when it comes to having days off
in her monologue (sorry),
which was performed by the marvellous Phoebe Brown. Starting with a can
of chickpeas, Sillett shows the escalating consciousness and an internal
reminder that ‘people have it worse’, which doesn’t benefit any current
situation. Brown embodied Sillett’s impassioned piece with a
particularly touching connection, reminding the audience that this truly
is a real-life situation. Brown did well to inhabit the feeling of
constantly striving to make a difference. In the final monologue,
Janice Connolly writes The Broken
Promise. Connolly is a founder member
and artistic director of Women & Theatre. Her piece is a fairy tale,
taking a metaphorical approach to ‘waiting in line’ for the first
opportunity. Katerina Demetraki performed Connolly’s voice
that links the emotions of the previous monologues, ending with an
inspiring and uplifting message for the young. This final monologue is
the voice of the future, allowing the audience to see the opportunities
of life from a new and refreshing perspective. Starting Out relates to everyone and using real
life stories to create an artistic outcome is extremely brave. With
their expert collaboration and artistic flair, they allow the audience
to reflect upon their own lives to be reassured that they are not alone.
To 15-10-16 Elizabeth Halpin 12-10-16
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