UK Theatre Network

Mixed Up North, a co-production between Bolton Octagon and Out Of Joint, is set in Burnley and is about attempts to heal the rift between the town’s communities in the wake of the 2001 disturbances. 

Trish (Celia Imrie) is an experienced youth arts worker who has set up a theatre group with the aim of fostering social cohesion among Burnley’s British Asian and white British teenagers.  What we see is a fictional account of a play being staged by the group - we spectators are having a privileged preview of the dress rehearsal.  Of course the real drama lies in the complicated inter-racial relationships between the young actors and the conflicting political agendas of the assorted youth workers: even referring to the 2001 events as “riots” is an incendiary act.

Director Max Stafford-Clark and writer Robin Soans visited Burnley with students from LAMDA, and together they conducted numerous interviews to create this unusual example of verbatim theatre - nearly all the words spoken on stage originate from these interviews, or from the work done with the LAMDA students while the piece was being developed.

One of the most beguiling and involving aspects of the staging is the way the audience and auditorium are weaved into the narrative: Colin the technician (Matthew Wait) does the lighting from the back, tea and cake are handed around by Jen (Mia Soteriou), the fire exit at the rear of the stage is opened so a van (in full view) can be loaded.  In some ways with its site-specific nods and attempts at creating a totally immersive experience it resembles Everybody Loves a Winner at the Royal Exchange last July, but with less audience participation and a far less naturalistic feel.

However the traditional verbatim theatre moments, where characters tells their stories directly to the audience in their own words, are easily the most compelling.  Tamsin (Lorna Stuart) explains how she was deceived by a charming married Asian boy and how her young sister was groomed and prostituted by another; Wendy (Rose Leslie) confesses that she was recently raped but her past experience of sexual abuse has prevented her from seeking help; Uday (Muzz Khan) describes a violent attack that led to a prison sentence. 

A large number of the original LAMDA students who worked on the piece are in the current cast and give very convincing performances as street-wise northern working-class teens with shocking tales to tell.  Max Stafford-Clark directs the 13-strong ensemble with his customary verve and energy, making for an entertaining and thought provoking evening of theatre.

Mixed Up North is on at Bolton Octagon until Saturday 26 September 2009, then touring

Tickets: from £9.00

Evenings: Mon-Sat at 7.30pm

Matinees: Sat 12 & 19 & Wednesday 23 @ 2pm

Box Office: 01204 520661

www.octagonbolton.co.uk

www.outofjoint.co.uk