THE TRIALS | TRON THEATRE, GLASGOW
★★★
“Young Company brings huge potential and more than ‘one to watch’ to stage…”
Dawn King’s dystopian ‘courtroom’ drama may be a derivative of the genre but it proves the ideal vehicle to showcase The Tron’s talented ‘Young Company’, a cast of 12 teenagers drawn from youth theatres and performance groups across Glasgow, as they take to the stage with three seasoned professionals.
Set 17 years in the future, the members of the Young Company form a jury, charged with listening to the pleas of three defendants, before passing judgement. In a world where pollution now makes the atmosphere unbreathable and sees icebergs towed up rivers, local theatres, cinemas and shopping centres have been designated as places to hold a series of trials. At these trials, the younger generation must try their elders and decide who is and who isn’t responsible for the unfolding catastrophe.
Twelve green chairs sit within Jessica Worrell’s stark white box set, a letter-box window cut high in the back wall serving as the sinister dock in which the defendants appear. Played over 90 minutes, each Defendant is given an opportunity to plead their case after which the jury have just 15 minutes to debate their pleas and come to a majority verdict.
As Defendant One, Brian Ferguson sets the scene with an emotionally charged monologue as an advertising executive being held to account for his family’s unacceptably high carbon footprint – every aspect of his lifestyle comes under scrutiny. Defendant Two finds Maryam Hamidi bringing a fierce passion to the role of a playwright who cites her misplaced belief and trust in authority as mitigation for exceeding her own carbon limit.
Finally, Defendant Three, played with dignified resignation by Pauline Goldsmith, puts her hands up; having worked for an oil company, she has no defence and leaves the jury with the hardest decision of them all.
That many of the arguments in King’s prescient and wittily barbed script are emotionally driven and predictable doesn’t make them any less terrifying, highlighting as they do not just the perilous state the crisis climate brought our planet to, but also of the gulf in attitudes and understanding of the problem that exists between young and old.
Bringing huge potential and more than ‘one to watch’ to the stage, the Young Company is impressive. Stand out performances include Oskar Waring’s strident turn as the angry, recently bereaved Noah, Lizzie MacKenzie, who gives a nicely considered performance as Gabi, and Teddy Burns, who has a quiet stage presence and nice comic timing as Chris.
Good all round support comes from the rest of the Young Company, which is completed by Mary Tompkins, Victoria Mamvuto, Alec Dolinsky-Fraser, Tamer Hayou, Hollie Hart, Poppy Simpson, Elizabeth Poet, Calum Morrison and Una Reid.
Director Joanna Bowman brings the best out of the ensemble with tight direction in a piece that tackles much more than just climate change as the jury’s deliberations explore personal responsibility, compassion and humanity in their search for justice. To discover if the defendants are guilty or not guilty, you’ll have to head to The Tron, where you could also find yourself watching a star or two of the future.
Tickets HERE
