The framing play was “1978-2023” by Alex Keelan. Bits of this came in between all the other short plays, and kept up a narrative about the founding and history of Greater Manchester Rape Crisis. Each new section was introduced with a selection of newspaper headlines in projection, and some form of pop music, to give a quick flash of the decade and how women were being discussed at the time. (Usually quite badly). Joyce Branagh was a smiling, peaceful schoolteacher with lots of enthusiasm, who had heard about the Rape Crisis movement sweeping the USA in the 1970s, and wanted the same for Manchester. Ellie Campbell, as a blue-collar rape survivor, spent the entire show squatting inside a small cardboard playhouse marked “Mary’s House”, bawling her own foul-mouthed opinions to Branagh out of a tiny window. Director Kate Colgrave Pope made good use of the comedy between the two women – which was quite badly needed in such a show – but also displayed teeth. Notably during a 1990's sequence when a pompous academic was saying that all women needed to do was go to self-defence classes.
All the other short plays were performed uninterrupted, and in the modern day. “Bhaijaan” by Zoe Iqbal focused on a brother and sister in a South Asian family. Their childhood began in joy, and began to darken in adolescence. By the time of the brother’s wedding, the sister was having panic attacks and losing the ability to function, owing to marital rape issues in her own marriage. Director Gitika Buttoo handled the transitions with sensitivity. As the sister, Jessica Kaur gave a stunning performance of a very young and overwhelmed bride. As the brother, Alex Hewitt captured the naïve helplessness of the male ally.
“Burdens” by Maz Hedgehog moved to a family of African background. We never saw the domineering man of the house; but we heard a lot about him from his wife and, as her daughter grew up and came out as lesbian, she had a lot to worry about. The switch came when it was the daughter’s girlfriend that prompted the phone call to Rape Crisis. Krissi Bohn was intelligent and fluid as the mother, and Kelise Gordon-Harrison was vivacious, naïve and sassy as the daughter. Director Ifeoma Uzo did lovely things with the mother-daughter relationship, as well as hitting moments of dark comedy.
“Lifelines” by Debbie Oates was one of the toughest pieces to watch. A woman in mid-life wanted to be a phone volunteer for Rape Crisis, but it was deemed that she hadn’t recovered from her own trauma enough yet, so she processed it for us. What was notable was how calm and sensible and earthy Julie Hesmondhalgh’s performance was, and how long ago the attack had occurred – the character had been a schoolgirl in the 1980s at the time. Director Bryony Shanahan kept it cupped in strong simplicity.
Joyce Branagh took a turn on the phoneline, and talked to a sweet-voiced eighty-year-old woman (the recorded voice of Pat Brocklehurst) who just wanted to tell someone that she was raped when she was thirteen, before she died.
“A Day In the Life Of” by Lekhani Chirwa moved from the survivors and volunteers to the paid Rape Crisis staff. Leah Baskaran’s character led the yoga therapy workshops, and she was trying to teach yoga to younger non-binary colleague Alicia Forde. Their inner lives of working in such an occupation swirled out and surrounded them, including a quite dramatic staging where it was compared to screaming into the air while a train is rushing past. Director Amy Gavin handled the trickiness of the task – it’s not so easy showing the inner life on stage – with composure.
“Broken” by Lindsay Williams was the most heartbreaking piece; the one that the audience were talking about most in the foyer; and the one that I hope Her Productions makes into a short film and broadcasts publicly. Lois Mackie, playing an Independent Sexual Violence Adviser from Rape Crisis, explained to us how the current legal system works, and why it is that rape is effectively decriminalised in Britain. It included infuriating details such as that a survivor cannot access counselling until after the trial, but the trial may not be held for years. Mackie combined the strength and intelligence of a professional ISVA with what appeared to be genuine tears in her eyes throughout the performance. These are the bits of the story that the general public doesn’t know about, and it needs to be made more widespread so the public can demand that the legal system be overhauled. Director Ellie Rose delivered with great clarity.
Playing multiple bit parts and group scenes were the rest of the ensemble: Pegeen Murphy, Tia Larson, Amy Tara and Solaya Sang. The programme notes say Rape Crisis survivors shared their stories and contributed to making this production happen; and it cannot be acknowledged enough that producers Hannah Ellis Ryan and Alex Keelan have created a “Vignettes” that is both of artistic quality and of great importance.
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