Contacting the World Festival: Around the Corner & Graffiti – Contact Theatre, Manchester

Around the Corner: performed by The Radiator Factory, Copenhagen: Denmark

Graffiti: From The Wall To The Stage: performed by Jamaica Youth Theatre, Jamaica

Reviewer: Poppy Helm

The Public Reviews Rating:

Established in 2002, Contacting the World (CTW) is a biennial endeavour to bring youth theatre companies from around the world together to perform in Manchester. Each participating company is ‘twinned’ with another over several months during which there is a mutual sharing of their experiences and culture. This exchange is used to inform and enrich their own performances, the idea being that the end piece would not exist in its final form without its ‘twin’.

Manchester’s Contact Theatre is frequently a chaotic and vibrant place but the lack of organisation concerning the evening’s first performance, Around The Corner, tiptoed into the uncomfortable. A confused audience were herded from upstairs (where the performance spaces are) down into the theatre foyer where the piece opened with some lacklustre street dance by a cast that didn’t all seem to know the steps. The rest of the action took place outside but with little real direction as the crowd drifted around, trying to secure a decent vantage point. Although the building lends itself to an impressive parkour display as the performers clambered up the outside, most of the action felt a little lost outdoors. The most striking of these largely disconnected moments was when two rival ‘gangs’ taunted each other with music, the performers’ closeness with the audience adding an edge by making us part of the action. Done well, a promenade performance can have real impact but this young company seemed somewhat overwhelmed by the challenge. Previous performances had apparently taken place indoors and were no doubt more successful.

In contrast, Jamaica Youth Theatre’s Graffiti was an extremely polished performance. The company leapt onto stage brandishing cans of spray paint and kept the pace high throughout this exploration of self-expression. The stage was kept uncomplicated; a projector on the back wall showing either one colour or a still image of a graffitied wall, a choice that ensures our attention is where it should be – on the cast. Nothing is wasted in this piece, the performers often using their own bodies in place of set or props (at one point collectively creating a train, a car and then a bus). However, at one point a simple red sash was used to dramatic effect, creating a stream of blood, a washing line and a rope binding corpses together. The dialogue (chanted, rapped and sung) is engaging in both its unusual delivery and clever wordplay although occasionally a touch repetitive. The company shine brightest during the dance sections, moving in unison and creating a real carnival atmosphere. By the time a Reggae number rolls round towards the end of the piece, the auditorium feels like one huge party. This is no flimsy feel-good performance though; there are powerful messages about unity and acceptance delivered with maturity by these talented young people.