Dare To Know is a new theatre company based in Oldham, and headed by two Oldhamers, Jake Talbot and Miranda Parker. The theatre company, we are told, is all about the locale... to celebrate Northerness, with especial reference to Oldham and the surrounds and those who live there, in a bid to try and make professional theatre both affordable and relevant to the community.
This evening saw their launch at Oldham's own Grange Theatre. A theatre I have long and strong memories of myself, remembering it fondly as Grange Arts Centre attached to Oldham College. The theatre still has very strong links with Oldham College, but is now available for hire to outside companies and is marketing itself as Oldham's second proferssional theatre venue. Indeed, when The Coliseum was undergoing needed restoration, they used The Grange Theatre to produce their season of productions.
The evening was advertised as starting at 7pm, although in truth, the showcase did not start until 7:30pm in the theatre. Before that, a small reception with live music was held in the foyer.
The showcase itself seemed a little ad hoc, despite perhaps detailed planning. The whole came across as a little - dare I use the word amateurish - in the sense that cast and staff were seen in the audience and coming in and out of the auditorium throughout the evening whilst a rear stage door was left open all evening and cast and crew could be seen behind it. It all felt very 'homely' but lacked a certain 'polish'. The other negative criticism I would proffer is the lack of programme. As much as I applaud the company wishing to reduce paper usage and waste, not having a programme in an evening of many different sections with many different performers etc, was rather disappointing. I doubt many people would have wished to have come home that evening or gone onto the internet the following morning to read about what they had already seen.... that information needed to be more immediate and not just on the www or announced by the two company owners in a brief introduction before the start of the showcase.
The showcase itself was also something of a potpourri of ideas, talents and even differing theatre companies. Starting with, 'This Is Oldham', a new piece of writing by Lindsay Williams and Sonya Nisa Saeed, it told the story of an Oldham born-and-bred Asian's perspective on the Muslim community and the relationships between white and non-white in Oldham with sincerity, truth and good humour.
Following this it was the turn of another up-coming local theatre company, Kitchen Sink Theatre, to present a two-hander all about their time as siblings growing up in Royton, 'A Brew, A Terrace, And The 184'. Written and performed by Chloe Heywood and Rowan Curran there was a lovely phyiscality and lightness to the piece which made it very watchable. Local dialect and northern humour made the piece enagaging to the local audience, although I doubt whether, as with the first piece, this would have any life outside of the North West.
During the evening we were shown two excepts from a new piece of writing which Dare To Know are producing. It is a two-hander called 'Smoking Shelter' which tells the story, as far as I can gather, of a lady patient at the hospital (where the smoking shelter is located) having been given only one week to live, whilst the man she encounters on her trips to the shelter for a cig is visiting the hospital regularly because his 7 year old son is there with leukemia. The acting here between Andrew (Simon Naylor) and Carol (Jeni Williams) is very real and sympathetic, although I am sad to report that both myself and my companion this evening had a deal of difficulty in hearing Williams, her projection was very weak. The final piece of the showcase, the second excerpt from this play, was to my mind however, the most real and best written of the evening.
Before watching a short excerpt from another play that Dare To Know are producing, we were shown its TV/ filmed trailer. The piece is a one-man play written and performed by Jake Talbot and directed by Miranda Parker. The play is called 'Drowning' and tells the story of a teenage schoolboy whose views on suicide and mental health in general are not mainstream. Talbot presents a hugely engaging character, shows great stage presence and was an engaging actor. The play embarks upon a tour starting in May and I am looking forward to catching it when it has a very short run at the Greater Manchester Fringe Festival in July.
Another piece of new writing followed by local writer Cathy Crabb, 'It Could Be You'. A short comedy play, it told the story of Helen (Elizabeth Poole) and her next of kin (presume daughter) Anne (Jessica Anderson). Anne wants to see Helen sectioned as she believes it would be in her best interests, and, as next of kin has the authority to do so. Unless I missed something though it was never explained what Helen's problems were and why she had been having therapy and the courts had agreed to section her. Present at this meeting was Helen's therapist, Joanna (Nancy Monaghan), and as it was Joanna's final day of working as a therapist she was keen to leave on a clean sheet. However, Helen had promised her half of her 3,5 million pound lottery win, all she asked was that she be allowed to go back home and live with her cats and not be put into care......! Unfortunately we had the same problem with lack of audibility in this piece as with 'Smoking Shelter' and I missed much of the opening dialogue and parts later on due to a dip in volume and lack of projection.
The final theatre this evening came from another theatre company, this time the Salford-based Up 'Ere Productions, and their short play 'Ten'. Taking as their starting point the 'ten signs to suicidal behaviour', this two-hander went through these as tiny vignettes leading up to the final moment where one of them is actually standing atop a building ready to jump. Written by John O'Neill and Noe Sebert and performed by O'Neill and Ross Thompson, this was a rather visceral and emotionally raw piece which had audience members ask them, 'So, how are you?' between each section. Rap style porformance poetry started the play which became more physical and more realistic as it went along, until the final moments which were acted in realistic dialogue. An interesting concept and a thoughtful way of highlighting suicide and the signs which might give people a clue to a suicidal tendancy.
In between all of these pieces two singer / songwriters had a short spot each; a female folk singer called Chloe in the first half and a more experienced Sam Parker in the second. As previously mentioned the evening ended with the second intallment of 'Smoking Shelter' which was an unusual choice as it ended on very much a down-beat. I would have found it more preferable to have watched a light-hearted comedic piece with a good punch-line to end the showcase on. However, what is certain is that Dare To Know Theatre are here and have many exciting new projects both current and in the pipeline, and as such, this can only be a good thing for local theatre in general and Oldham specifically.
Reviewer - Matthew Dougall
on - 27/2/20
NNoé Sébertoé Sébe
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