‘By pulling together, everything is possible’ is the opening card for York Theatre’s 'Everything Is Possible'. It’s a message that has become increasingly prevalent in the last few months, but York Theatre (co-producing with Pilot Theatre) take that message, add a dollop of community spirit and condense it into a production.
Bridget Foreman’s sharp examination of what it means to be a woman and the resilience of justice originally ran in the summer of 2017. Now, 'Everything Is Possible' is being streamed as part of York Theatre’s Collective Arts programme. The recording of the play, (and I’m assuming the play itself had this immersive aspect) begins outside York Minster, in the middle of a women’s march. We see crowds of people smiling, talking, dancing - several bursts of women addressing the crowd passionately - whilst a journalist reports the event direct to camera. The reporter sets the tone of the coming story by describing the march as ‘many human voices, making one voice’. The march is interrupted by suffragettes in the familiar historical attire, and past and present blend together, as the story moves into the York Theatre.
Barbara Marten takes the lead as Annie Seymour-Pearson, a respectable housewife, living in York and initially indifferent to the suffragette movement. After a shocking incident where two young girls within Annie’s family are harmed by a local man (although it is not quite clear exactly what happened, this makes the suggested incident even more disturbing), a fire is lit within Annie and she passionately joins the battle for equality.
Marten gives a stunning performance, squeezing the emotion from every beat of Annie’s journey. From one of her earliest appearances, telling her husband she has been for a ‘kick about’ with a football, we know Annie isn’t your stereotypical early 20th century woman. She is instantly likeable, and this subversion of our expectations hints at the rebel hiding deep inside Annie. Breaking the fourth wall to narrate her own story, Annie explains how she led a ‘comfortable life’ and how she felt the suffragette movement to grant women the vote didn’t affect her. At first she is indifferent to the local suffragette group, not wanting to be involved with a group that is generating so much outrage and controversy. Marten’s affable and genial portrayal of Annie is so important to the early stages of the story, connecting with the audience before they, like Annie, are thrust into the world of political activism. The scene where Annie’s indifference finally breaks is highly intense, as she discusses with her husband Arthur their apparent equality and berates a world where ‘a man is allowed to do whatever he wants because it is his right’. Her resulting declaration - ‘I want a voice’ - is a powerful turning point in the story, with Marten’s performance making it impossible for the audience not to support her.
But this isn’t just a one-note story. We see every layer of the story unravel, from the women who fight so fervently for their rights, to the men who argue their lack of such privileges (in a scene which wouldn’t be entirely out of place on a modern day parliament live feed, with plenty of raucous jeering and paper-waving). This production examines the varying attitudes, from both sexes, towards the suffragettes and their cause. As expected, there are women who strongly fought for their right to vote, but we are also shown the women who were quite happy to allow the men to make the decisions (‘Government is about men, so it should be done by men’ declares one woman rather chillingly). Reassuringly, we also get to see the male allies to the suffragettes.
Mrs Pankhurst herself looms over the production, with plenty of references to her fights for equality and her impending visit to York. Pankhurst’s presence is felt from the start, an omniscient figure of the change to come, the ripples of her actions in London evident in the city of York. There is also reference to the death of Emily Davidson, whose violent end proves devastating but motivating to the suffragettes of York.
Marten is supported by a cast of 150 community members and, honestly, their passion for this story is incredible. As we join Annie at her first suffragette demonstration in London, the tightness of the ensemble really shines through. The use of repetitive movement and projection enhances the intensity of the resulting violence. Later, there’s an eerie scene where several women from around the country share their experiences with inequality and masculine oppression. Several choral numbers, especially the closing song, are breathtaking and I’m sure would have been infused with even more power in the original staged production. It’s moments like this where the community cast really shine. Their professionalism is high throughout, which is a credit to their enthusiasm and passion for telling their story, and, of course, the guidance and support of the production team.
This production wasn’t made to be streamed, it was made to be seen live, so it would be unfair to criticize the quality of the recording. It is worth keeping this in mind though, as several aspects of the production, I feel, are sold short in the recording. For example, there are times where it’s hard to make out faces or set pieces and at several points the sound dips or the ensemble drown out speakers.
Sara Perk’s design, though sometimes not done justice by the recording, is inventive and powerful. Chalk messages are scratched across the floor and the versatile black box set lends itself to many locations. The production was directed by Juliet Forster and Katie Posner. Managing a cast of 150 cannot be an easy task but Forster and Posner find ways to tell this story effectively and creatively, drawing out the emotion and really emphasising the community spirit. Posner is developing a reputation for bold, ambitious stories that come from the heart of a community and this is no exception. Even at the end, when all cast members are on stage, joined by a choir of 80, it doesn’t feel over-crowded, it feels special. A community coming together.
The production itself isn’t perfectly polished but that is not the point. There is something powerful in the community of the present coming together to tell the story of the community of the past.
In these times of crisis, when the country is divided by politics and we are all confined to our homes, 'Everything Is Possible' is great, uplifting lockdown viewing. It reminds us of hope, resilience and the importance of perseverance.
Reviewer - Gavin Hayes
on - 23/5/20
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