REVIEW: THE BRITISH THEATRE CHALLENGE at Brockley Jack Studio Theatre 16 – 20 April 2024

'It’s not a bad strike rate for new writing.'

Going to see a programme of unknown plays is always a gamble – there may be a dramatic jewel, there may be humdrum, there may be raw promise. There may be toe-curling awfulness. Almost certainly, however, there will be the opportunity to witness new writers at the beginning of their careers, and that is an exciting and valuable thing. The British Theatre Challenge 2024, produced by Sky Blue Theatre Company and hosted, as has become traditional, by the Jack Studio, is a generous and vital project, and both organisations deserve praise and respect.

There are five short plays presented in the evening, whittled down from several hundred entries. Starting with the last performance, we had an animated Norman Rockwell painting called The Magic in Christopher, which was like being force-fed packets of Splenda while listening to dodgy American accents. Respect is due to Hannah Tudge for her breezy inhabiting of the part of Christopher, a shiny scrubbed schoolboy from the 1950’s.

The Injured Party is a four-hander in a venerable sketch tradition, two couples stuck in a car in a traffic jam, bickering, revealing underlying familial tensions, arriving at a twist ending. It was well enough done but a long way from being fresh.

Emily Carmichael’s Each Fallen Robin began the evening, with two well judged performances from Tracy Garcia and Marlon Kameka, and a tight, well-crafted piece about lonely people edging into a relationship. Convincing dialogue, good jokes, and a gently ramped-up emotional climax. It’s a promising early play and merits the showcase Sky Blue Theatre provides.

The two most interesting pieces of the evening were the two that dealt with serious subjects. Can There Be Justice for TJ? by Evonne Fields-Gould explored the personal tragedies behind Black Lives Matter, with a stellar performance by Samantha Russell as a mother mourning her murdered son. The intentions were honourable, the central performance was stunning, and the writing felt like a first draft. Over-written, overly expositional, too many words. Samantha Russell needed to fight with the script to drive home the emotional truth, and it’s to her considerable credit that she managed it.

The highlight of the evening was Steve Eddison's You Butterfly, dealing sensitively and powerfully with the emotional legacy of her abuse as a small child in an elderly woman, brilliantly played by Mary Tillett with sensitive support from the rest of the cast. Kamal Boulema, as her louche but sympathetic son-in-law, deserves particular mention, but the laurels go to Mary Tillett. She manages a very difficult, very well-characterised role as an elderly woman reliving childhood trauma, and she nailed it. The script was convincing and measured, and nuanced. Having the son-in-law character being strong contrast to the fussy concern of the other characters gave variety to the tone of the piece, which was very welcome. It’s not an easy watch, but worthwhile.

Five plays, one excellent, one interesting and worthy if flawed, one a good workmanlike early work, one old-fashioned and forgettable, and one cringe-inducing. It’s not a bad strike rate for new writing. For context, I have never managed to get through all of It’s a Wonderful Life despite a fondness for James Stewart. And some people like Splenda.

Photographer credit is Kat Forsyth.

Five New Short Plays – The British Theatre Challenge

presented by Sky Blue Theatre

Tuesday 16th – Saturday 20th April 2024

This year’s selected plays are:

Each Fallen Robin by Emily Carmichael

The Injured Party by Scott Gibson

Can There Be Justice For TJ by Evonne Fields-Gould

You Butterfly by Steve Eddison

The Magic in Christopher by Lee Brodie

Creative Team

Directed by John Mitton

Company Manager: Nat Brimson

Stage Manager: Nithila Prabakar

Deputy SM and Lighting: Zhiying Zhang

Assistant SM: Siyi Li

Assistant SM: Jiewei Huang

Assistant SM: Zhu Meng

CAST LIST

Each Fallen Robin                                             

Will – Marlon Kameka                                       

Fran – Tracy Garcia                                 

The Injured Party

Monica – Darrie Gardner

Derek – Michael Tuffnell

Roni – Rosalind Adler

Eddie – David Kerr

Can There Be Justice for TJ

Vivian – Samantha Russell                             

Officer Jackson – Kamal Boulema               

TJ – Marlon Kameka                               

Voice Actors

TJ: Kyrone Newell

Little Man: Terrelle Leverette

Officer Smith: Chris Lane

Carla: Louise Lee                                                                   

You Butterfly

Betty – Mary Tillett

Frank – Tim Heath

June – Tracy Garcia

Ray – Kamal Boulema

The Magic in Christopher

Mr. Anderson – Tim Heath

Christopher Finchley – Hannah Tudge

Frank Finchley – Michael Tuffnell

Caroline Finchley – Darrie Gardner

Sue Finchley – Amy Hunnable

Mrs. Follensbee- Mary Tillet

Mr. Jenson- David Kerr

Brian- Kamal Boulema

Reviewed by Chris Lilly