Review: Occupied Territory (Drayton Arms Theatre)

Review by Oliver Briggs

⭐️⭐️⭐️

A semi-immersive work-in-progress from Make My Show Productions heads to Drayton Arms Theatre with the opening of the gritty Occupied Territory, an eye-opening piece of new writing that feels all too relevant to the current social climate, had me on the edge of my seat at times, and was uncomfortably Orwellian.

Written and directed by Roger Francis, the story focuses on a property owned by Ruth, played by Helen Matthews, and David, played by Andrew Norman, whose lives are upended by the arrival of the "Saxons," Angus, played by Will Tusker and Susan, played by Anna Cleden. What follows is a chilling displacement through brute force and carelessness; the newcomers begin to push the rightful owners out of their own home. It is a haunting exploration of claim and heritage that draws uncomfortable parallels between 1940s Germany and their politics, but more horrifically, it draws parallels between modern-day USA and the action in their streets. It holds a clear, sharp mirror to society and oneself as this property becomes a metaphor for a much wider issue.

There are both strengths and weaknesses in the script. Allow me to reiterate the ‘Work-in-progress’ aspect of this performance before I dig into it, however. The script's main mishaps occur just as the performance begins in those first few minutes, where we see a naive Ruth welcoming Angus. The dialogue in this scene fails to capture enough power dynamic for me to latch onto the idea that one person is the victim of an oppressive system and the other is the abuser of said system, as they came off as equals to begin with, muddying the stakes. Upon the introduction of David's character, because of his lines, I began to believe that he and Ruth were the oppressors, because what he said was rooted in commonplace traditional values, which was incorrect and thus left me slightly confused about the plot to begin with, as I tried to catch up.

Francis’ script finds its stride towards the middle and the end of the performance, thanks to the use of language that would get any person angry like victim-blaming and false narratives. It captures the same type of language used by the media to shape different groups of people who often may find themselves displaced as the perpetrators or the monsters in the story, when in fact it couldn't be more the opposite.

Likewise, the direction offers flashes of brilliance with some areas for growth. Throughout the performance,, some scenes feel rather flat and lacking in dynamics. I believe this was down to both characters being level on the stage during their conversation with all of the set behind them. Include the lack of movement from each character, though I'm sure it’s because one character is still in calmness and ego, the other frozen in fear or shock, and the scene becomes an audio-described photograph. I could see the intention of having both characters so still; however, a more frantic, panicked use of the stage space from the oppressed characters could heighten the urgency as they realise the gravity of their situation.

The direction triumphs, however, at the semi-immersive aspect of the performance. These moments were some of the most exciting parts due to the picture that audiences saw on stage, with dialogue happening on one side and soldiers lurking in the corner of the other side, unnoticed. Followed by the sudden snap into action, blinding torches and the forced movement of the audience is genuinely jarring. The production’s closing masterstroke, forcing the audience to stand while the Saxons sit comfortably in the very seats we paid for, is a genius piece of metatheatre that really works the brain. It is a haunting representation of historical and current atrocities that left me feeling more than a little unsettled. As an immersive experiment, it is a bold and undeniably excellent achievement.

I am sorry to say, however, that I found the characterisation from the cast rather held back throughout the performance. There is an untapped reservoir of emotion here that, once unleashed, will be devastating. I believe that with all of the characters, there is so much room to expand on each individual's emotions. A dystopian play such as this often pairs brilliantly with less naturalistic and more projected emotion. I feel as though having been able to see more raw emotion from characters such as Ruth and Angus about their perspectives on the matter could have really been effective in creating that power dynamic that (as previously mentioned) was rather confusing in the beginning few minutes. More crying, more anger, more confusion, especially with the context of the performance

One of the most formidable elements of the evening was the sound design. It was nearly faultless, a brilliant achievement given the production's developmental stage. It attacked my senses, made me uncomfortable in my own seat, and immersed me in the horrors of the kind of society the play is portraying. One moment that especially stood out to me was a time of blackout on stage, but there was an audio playing of people in terror, screaming, children and adults in pain that lasted for a moment. If anything, I wouldn't have minded that happening for longer, allowing the audience even more time to become immersed in the setting and to really reflect on what they are hearing. Some props that were used to create noise, like a whistle or a megaphone, were effective in spiking the tension suddenly and getting under the audience's skin as they were loud and direct, commanding, leaving the audience powerless. The only tiny setback for sound design was music heard over the radio sounded too clean. I believe that scenes could gain some much-needed eeriness if there was some radio-static interference with the music at times. Otherwise, the sound was quite literally sound, a really strong creative design.

Despite the performance's shortcomings, Make My Show productions and the company are still developing the piece. Given Occupied Territories' relevance to today's news, society, and semi-immersive approach that puts the audience in the heart of the action, it is definitely worth a watch.

Occupied Territory plays at Drayton Arms Theatre until 2nd March. Tickets from https://www.thedraytonarmstheatre.co.uk/occupied-territory