Allen Hall Theatre
October 31.
Tessa's a hot-shot defence barrister.
She also loves what she calls "the game of law", winning case after case through relentless questioning designed to outsmart and discredit prosecution witness testimony.
Not far from the start of what looks like a promising romantic attachment, however, something happens that makes Tessa understand what being the complainant in a rape case actually means.
She comes, painfully, to recognise that "all my professional life I have participated in a system that has done this to women".
Suzie Miller’s multi-award-winning script places huge demands on a single performer who must engage with the often distressing text for 100 minutes without an interval.
On opening night, Serena Cotton’s first minutes tended to be a little rushed and breathless (easily attributed to first-night nerves), but quickly settled into a more appropriate pace for the tightly constructed text.
Movement and voice forcefully yet sensitively convey the rape scene’s horror.
Lighting and sound by Martyn Roberts and Matthew Morgan support the play’s tension and seamlessly indicate scene progressions when the audience needs to understand that the location has changed.
Original songs by local musicians Sylvie Harper and David Harrison have been incorporated into the soundtrack.
Demonstrating Tessa’s slip into despair and hopelessness (the play’s last line is "something has to change"), her wardrobe slides from slick, professional suits and slinky evening dresses to an unflattering and ill-fitting beige outfit.
Although we see only one person on the stage, many local people and organisations have contributed to this production’s success and many of them were in the packed audience on Thursday night.
Very warm applause at the end acknowledged both the production’s exceptional quality and the bravery needed to bring such a disturbing play to the stage.
Director Lara Macgregor, new company Birds of a Feather and everyone concerned are to be congratulated.
