Court without words
Lynn Freeman
Resolve, directed by Nicola Clements, Bats Theatre, reviewed by Lynn Freeman
FIVE people walked out of Resolve within the first ten minutes the night I was there. Perhaps they couldn’t handle the noise and how hard it was to hear what was being said. If so they missed one of the points of the play, which was to give those with hearing an inkling of what it is like to live in a world where communication can’t be achieved through sound.
In this second play from Odd Socks, a mix of hearing and deaf actors have collaborated with musician Murray Hickman and sound designer Thomas Press to create a soundscape that vibrates the theatre (those without a hearing impairment have to wear earplugs to cope with the noise). We are given balloons through which we can feel those vibrations even more keenly. The series of vignettes that make up Resolve also seek to share the frustrations of communicating with people who rely on speech. In one scene, the hearing mother of a deaf daughter steadfastly refuses to learn how to sign, and doesn’t want her daughter hanging out with other deaf children in the belief it will somehow hold her back. In another, a courtship takes place on a train without a word ever being spoken.
Nicola Clements’ direction is deftly done and her actors (whose names I would have given you had there been a programme available) work well, quickly establishing their characters and doing so without the need for acres of dialogue.
FIVE people walked out of Resolve within the first ten minutes the night I was there. Perhaps they couldn’t handle the noise and how hard it was to hear what was being said. If so they missed one of the points of the play, which was to give those with hearing an inkling of what it is like to live in a world where communication can’t be achieved through sound.
In this second play from Odd Socks, a mix of hearing and deaf actors have collaborated with musician Murray Hickman and sound designer Thomas Press to create a soundscape that vibrates the theatre (those without a hearing impairment have to wear earplugs to cope with the noise). We are given balloons through which we can feel those vibrations even more keenly. The series of vignettes that make up Resolve also seek to share the frustrations of communicating with people who rely on speech. In one scene, the hearing mother of a deaf daughter steadfastly refuses to learn how to sign, and doesn’t want her daughter hanging out with other deaf children in the belief it will somehow hold her back. In another, a courtship takes place on a train without a word ever being spoken.
Nicola Clements’ direction is deftly done and her actors (whose names I would have given you had there been a programme available) work well, quickly establishing their characters and doing so without the need for acres of dialogue.
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