‘Candidates for Change: The Road to Con-Dem Nation’ by Stuart Barrow
Barefaced Theatre performed ‘Candidates for Change: The Road to Con-Dem Nation’ a piece of pop-up theatre at former hat factory, The Gallery on Redchurch Street, London E2 on July 27th- 31st 2010.
It is the first play to tackle the new politics of coalition Britain within a narrative of ambitions and restraints in post-credit crunch London. This dry satire of UK politics and London life follows the lives of four women, a man of two dreams, and a mother caught up in the central contradiction of life under the Cameron coalition: do we look out from the summit and let sunshine rule the day - or keep it real? And what does it mean if we lick the Bunty…? Over two acts, Barefaced theatre reveals all, introducing you to thrusting ‘A list’ (and wannabe A list) candidates and the effects of their ambition on themselves and others around them. A play about relationships, dreams and the nature of reality itself, with laughs along the way. A play for now. Innit, though…
Playwright Stuart Barrow is a former adviser and speechwriter to numerous politicians including Michael Portillo, Michael Howard, Francis Maude and Jeremy Hunt. “Candidates for Change” is his first play.
Former hat factory, The Gallery on Redchurch Street, was the perfect venue for the play: a metaphor itself for post-industrial, post-modern, post-class system Britain and the multi-layered realities of London today.
What people said:
Total Politics: Juliet Shardlow - \’Coalition laid Bare(faced)\’
“The set alone would be worth going for. Ballot-box tables and blue-yellow art deco wall stripes were the highlights of a masterful reinvention of the Gallery space. A catwalk of action was negotiated nicely by Peri Olufunwa as the put-upon secretary. Katie Warren and Berri George also gave exceptional performances as conflicting flatmates Dips and Amber. The love triangle with the suitably smooth Edward Fisher, playing a high-flying city boy, culminated in one of the most convincing stage scraps I’ve ever seen and, for such a small space, that’s no mean feat.
[Barefaced Theatre] manipulated the close-knit nature of the space wonderfully. There are some slick set moments and beautifully directed break-ups where feminine charm intermingles effortlessly with masculine drive. Don’t expect to see Nick, Dave at all in the audience. But do go and see it for a fun subversion of political sexism. ”
Tom Greeves: Critical Reaction
“The play is riotously funny, moves along at a cracking pace, has an unpredictable narrative arc, and is greatly enhanced by superbly developed characters and fine acting. I am tempted to see it a second time, but I don’t want to deprive others….it was a jolly good show in a very agreeable setting.
Russel Gomm: Aurora Pictures:
‘I am a very film oriented so am unfamiliar with theatre and plays and was quite overwhelmed with the format - fantastic style. It was a lot of fun and it felt very personal to the audience due to the style and seating. Very interesting and most enjoyable’
Other audience members:
‘Not the ordinary’
‘The set is amazing! I like the gallery setting’
‘All the actors excellent’
‘Great writing, up to date and fantastic performances. Great comedy to boot’
‘Fantastic stage design’
‘Very believable characters’
‘Urban and gritty. Raw!’
WORKSHOPS:
We held two workshops in conjunction with the show:
Wednesday’ 28th July : 12 - 2pm Writing the Spoken Word, a rare insight into the world of top-level political speech writing and an in-depth discussion of the process involved in writing ‘Candidates for Change’, delving into its prevalent themes.
Friday 30th July: 12 - 3pm The Actor and the Text an exploration into how to handle and work text, actors will get a chance work on scenes from a small range plays, the object of the workshop is to explore some of the initial aspects and questions that you as an actor must ask yourself when approaching text. Led by Lawrence Olivier award winner Benjamin Davies .
ART:
We strove to bring in all genres from the world of creativity and art was an aspect of the show that had to be embraced, not only in reflection to our choice of venue but also in helping to underline some of the shows prevalent themes.
We displayed art work within the gallery from 3 different artists:
Whose four paintings fitted in with the play’s following themes: Keeping it real, Puppets/puppetteer, Strong women, Love triangle, Dreams . Emma’s work tends to be centered around themes of the female and power, with a lot of emotional energy.
His still lives series explores the realities of abandoned disused objects reflecting this city’s own unique urban landscape. And Candidates is also a play that explores our attachement to tis grand and gritty city, as Dips say’s: ‘I love London. It’s a city where anyone can be whoever they want to be, even for just a few hours. And all in Zone 1. As an artist, that appeals to me. I paint. Canvases, mainly. ’
In this series of Circus inspired paintings Flora Bradwell populates an imagined circus with her ideal cast. The work playfully explores the boundary between the believable and the bizarre complimenting the themes of dreams and the nature of reality running through Candidates for Change.
