Written by: Dombo (@DomOJFryer)Where's Dom gone?
The Quaker's Meeting House, Edinburgh
Was Dom fond?
*****
Simply utter the word 'Hillsborough' to many Liverpudlians, and it would send them to a darker place; and even if it doesn't, seemingly everyone has something to say. The disaster, which happened at an F.A cup semi final match between Liverpool and Nottingham Forest football clubs at Hillsborough, Sheffield on 15th April 1989 was nothing short of tragic, and has since provoked many talking points between the Police and the various charities set up in order to help the families of those involved.
Clearly, Joanne Halliday and Layla Dowie thought
the time for talking was... well now, actually; Beyond Hillsborough is
an incredibly poignant piece of verbatim theatre. Using the words of those
involved or related to the disaster, the two teachers from West Kirby Grammar
School, near Liverpool, bring to our attentions the plight of living with the
disaster. We can never fully understand, but this is as close as we'll get.
As the
lights dim at the start of the piece, a video is projected onto the screen,
alongside commentary from the game. From this point on, you think that you know
what you're in for, but nothing can prepare you for the talent on show from
teenagers no older than 18, maybe pushing 19 years old for some of them. From
an outside eye it appears that every one of the large cast, all of who are
fantastic, have done their research into both the event and the person they are
representing. When the piece finished, the words they were using were not lost
on themselves; they looked exhausted.
To put it
bluntly, verbatim is sometimes rubbish. But directors and writers Halliday and
Dowie have dealt with this piece so delicately and meticulously that it is
impossible to ignore; a rare victory for this form of theatre. The visual and
audio aids are simple and effective: just enough to give you an idea of the
context. Beyond Hillsborough is virtually flawless in its execution and
incredibly important. It isn't just that this could go far - it needs to.
This production has finished its run.
@ZippedUpTheatre
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