My relationship with verbatim theatre blows hot and cold. The toughest thing for me is the intrusiveness in the subjects’ lives, and sometimes the humour extracted at their expense. It was particularly acute at this because the subjects were minors, and the latter point was accentuated by some people a couple of rows in front who thought the whole thing was an uproarious comedy, their loud laughter jarring.
Alecky Blythe and her team interviewed twelve teenagers over five years from six schools, both state and public, in all four nations of the UK. Each of her ‘collectors’ followed just two subjects. The twelve represent a diversity of sex, race and class. The six hundred hours of recordings have been edited down to three, during which we watch them change and grow up. The actors who portray them also bring alive and populate the piece with their friends, families and teachers.
There are three parts, but its the third, short one, living through the pandemic, which is the most insightful and moving, as we see the impact on their lives, education & careers and mental health. It took a long time to overcome my concerns (not entirely until I read the programme on the way home to discover the subjects had read, and in some cases seen staged, all of their words being used, though not their portrayals) but in the end it proved to be an extraordinary insight into a generation I rarely engage with, and now feel much more empathy for.
It’s worth seeing just for the superb ensemble, who bring both the subjects and their relationships alive, mostly staying on the right side of caricature. Director Daniel Evans further animates this with music, movement and projections. At 3 hours 40 minutes it is too long, though its hard to see how it could be edited further without detriment to the characterisation and storytelling. That said, the part that packed the most punch was half as long as the other two.
I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend it, but read the programme interview about the process first, and respect the subjects who have been generous enough to allow us into their lives at a formative stage.