Roots Theatre Company performed 'Consent' at The Hope Street Theatre in Lievrpool, and are a contemporary, female-led theatre company based in the North West, whose priminal aim is to unpick the roles of women in society, then develop and explore pertinent issues surrounding them. One of the main objectives for them is delving into the origins of these issues and putting them to the forefront of their productions.
Roots Theatre were supporting RASA Merseyside for this particular performance as there were collection buckets at the end of the show, where everyone in the audience could donate some loose change. RASA are a group, who provide emotional and practical support for survivors of all forms of sexual violence.
Rachel Westhead was the producer of Consent, and it was directed by Kate Coogan, with some incredible precision regarding the script. Her dedication was clearly shown throughout the show. The subject matter in Consent was sometimes difficult to watch, but needed to be observed and bring awareness to the audience. The handling of Consent was done in an extremely sensitive manner in the play. The narrative of the story was very raw and realistically portrayed by the very talented cast.
Consent was beautifully written by Nina Raine. She has written the play with a great deal of passion and empathy. Consent was raw and realistically written. The subject matter was covered throughout the play, which isn’t done very often in the theatre, never shielding away from difficult scenes to be performed. Relationships played a crucial part in the play as they were tested to full capacity and created so much tension and conflict between the characters.
The cast consisted of seven characters, Kitty (Bex Culshaw), Zara (Brianna Douglas), Rachel (Eve Shotton), Jake (Joe Pass), Gayle/Laura (Kaitlin Michaels), Ed (Paul Dorsey) and Tim (Tom Turgess). Some really incredible performances, but special mention to Kaitlin Michaels for her performance of Gayle. Although, her character was only in a few scenes, she stole the show with her deeply moving portrayal of the alleged rape victim. Michaels played the character very well, adding so much emotion and sympathy to Gayle. Additionally, I thought Paul Dorsey created a very believable character in Ed, whose character interweaved between all the characters and gave a strong, realistic performance.
The story of Consent centred around two lawyers, Ed and Tim, who were opposing each other on a rape case, regarding Gayle. They both held different opinions concerning the case. This inevitably caused conflict because the story followed them in and out of the courtroom as the drama soon spilled out in their own relationships. The couples, Jake & Rachel and Ed & Kitty were both experiencing marital problems to a certain degree, and we’re attempting to work things out. In the midst of these two married couples, Tom was looking for a relationship and his friends set him up on a date with his future girlfriend, Zara.
The chemistry and dynamics of Ed and Kitty were particularly good to watch as the warring couple. I thought all the cast played their characters well and added something to them all too.
The Set Design by Issy Taylor, was minimal, but practical. The set consisted of a sofa, two tables and a set of chairs. The prop of the scales was a good one to utilise as it had connotations with the subject matter. All the action of the scenes were played out in the same surroundings, apart from the bar scene. It was a great concept having a square stage with seating on all sides, which worked incredibly well for Consent as the audience had a good view of the interaction between the characters. Chloe Buck was the Costume Designer for all characters, she did a good job sourcing them all, especially the black gown for the lawyers.
Well done to Sarah Shaw, the Lighting Designer, some great use of lighting effects for certain scenes of the play. A good contrast of light and darkness, which heightened the conflict and tension between the characters. Sound Design by Ben Ellington was also good.
Finally, Consent is well worth going to see as it deals with the subject matter with sensitivity, empathy and realism. The play did a great job raising awareness of consent and had the audience thinking what their opinions of the issue were. Consent was very thought provoking and powerful to watch, which demonstrated the harsh realities of being in a relationship and the difficulties they face.
Reviewer - Mark Cooper
on - 2/10/19
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