Athena Stevens’ new play focusses on a woman who is picked up by police slightly into the future, after an altercation in a bar. The woman who has cerebral palsy and uses a wheelchair (played by Stevens) claims to see things about the people around her, which prompts her to try to warn them before these traumas happen. It’s a little futuristic, positioning the audience as a citizens’ council who bear witness to the video recorded and transcribed interview of a vulnerable citizen. Indeed the slightly outside our current realm but not entirely unbelievable nature of the world of the play is quite intriguing — the way technology is used for us (and at times against us) in the telling of the story is compelling.
The presence of this technology results in a very clever and innovative means of creating a sense of movement and challenging perspective in the small space, using live video editing to create a world we see but the actors do not, further emphasizing the plight of the protagonist.
The script is funny but at the same time upsetting — a delicate balance to strike, which it does quite well. And by centering the story of a vulnerable individual while not making it about their disability, the script and production engage in a meaningful way with representing the stories of individuals who are frequently sidelined.
At a pacy 50 minutes, it is just the right length for the intensity of the moments it creates, really driving the audience to question who and what we believe, and what we bear witness too.