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Beyond CaringBirmingham Rep
**** BEYOND Caring
by Rep associate director Alexander Zeldin is an experience like no
other, a devised piece about the
gruelling conditions and the
sacrifices of people through zero hours contracts as cleaners in a
factory. It is a comment of the all too common structure
of work that people are forced to take on today. In the production, we
see the experience of three new cleaners taking on a fourteen-night
contract from an agency and the interaction within their new
environment. The production feels almost site specific as the
space is used well to allude to the cold and industrial setting of
workers in a factory.
Natasha Jenkins’ set design is grey and dark
which constantly gives the gloomy factory feeling. The main stage of the
REP is used, but the audience do not sit in the auditorium. Instead, we
are guided to the back of the stage and sit in a studio set up in
thrust. The openness of sitting towards the workshop area of the REP
points to the factory-like atmosphere of the factory setting. We meet each character as they enter one by one.
Because of the bright fluorescent lights and open space, it is hard to
establish that the play has started. This is a fantastic concept, as authenticity runs
through every moment. The audience are merely there to observe the
conditions and hierarchies of working in the most unethical
environments. The atmosphere is constantly very real, yet it is
environment with an extreme uncomfortable feeling. Grace, Susan and Becky are employed as cleaners
within the factory via an agency. Through awkward dialogue and unspoken
courtesies, the struggles of working for two entities are apparent. Perhaps it is because of Zeldin’s direction that
makes this production so sharp. It is a devised piece, which gives a
fluidity and truthful account of working conditions. There is a
hierarchy in the company. Manager Ian is in charge and he is comfortable in
his position with no need to think about those below him. When Becky
received a text to say that payment would not be in her account until a
later date, Ian wanted nothing to do with the matter, stating ‘take it
up with the agency.’ This is an all too real example of the d The issue of confidentiality is lost and every
small detail is thought about. We see constant examples of the lack of
integrity shown towards employees. When Ian conducts a review with the quiet Susan,
there is an expectation for him to stop when Grace and Phil enter having
had their break. Instead, Ian continues with the condescending
interview, totally ignoring that they now have company, while Susan is
left flustered and embarrassed.
Another moment happened in which the ladies were
being interviewed as a group, Ian distinctly and openly questioned Grace
regarding medical problems, leaving her with no choice but to answer in
front of complete strangers about a background of Arthritis and
disability. The cast, three fresh from a run at the National
Theatre, are fantastic at capturing the essence of the struggles of zero
hours contracts. In the factory, each character has a different
personality. This difference of life experience only establishes that
working in desolate industries are not a choice for some, but a living. Luke Clarke plays the self-righteous manager Ian
who clearly shows no care towards employees. Clarke depicts a manager
with a one rule for himself, and another for the rest attitude. His
casual passes towards bad conditions and treatment are eye-opening, but
are still a truthful representation of the reality of what happens in
workplaces of today. Phil is the only full-time cleaner amongst the
group and is a quiet and shy character. In the awkward lunch breaks
where people are desperate to cut the atmosphere with meaningless small
talk, Phil distances himself with reading. James Edward Doherty is fantastic in the role and
shows the secrets of the seemingly quiet man. Doherty tastefully
addressees the issue of mental health within the workplace, taking
himself away to the bathroom for prolonged periods of time and opening
up to others strictly on a one-on-one basis. Becky is a secretive and hardy lady, with a
worldly experience and a suggestion that she has worked with a cleaning
agency for far too long. Victoria Mosely embodies her roughness and is
probably the most interesting character, perhaps because we do not
actually know Becky’s real background. In a scene where Ian refuses to
offer her a day off work, we see what this means for her life at home.
Mosely is perfect within the strong and tragic role. There were also wonderful performances from
Kristin Hutchinson, who played the shy Susan and Janet Etuk as Grace,
who did not ‘fit in’ with the rest of the group, but needed the job as
equally as anyone else. The piece has a constant pent up frustration
where the audience are patiently waiting for the workforce to address
it. The need to be paid overrides the morality of being treated so
poorly within the workplace and because of this; we do not see a
solution that gives the workers a promise of a better future. This piece is truthful and cutting. In real life,
there still is no sign of a respect for workers and Zeldin does well to
highlight the fact that something must change, fast. To 11-06-26 Elizabeth Halpin 08-06-16
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culture in which companies are used to treating employees, and it is
reflected beautifully within the performance.