Like most theatres, The Orange Tree Theatre in Richmond has been closed since March 2020, but now the stage is lit up again with the first instalment of specific collection Inside/Outside, which consists of six short plays by six emerging and established writers, performed and live streamed from the Orange Tree Theatre’s auditorium.

Being asked to write about Inside as a theme, the first three plays written by Deborah Bruce, Joel Tan and Joe White, will be streamed live 26 – 27 March; whilst the final three plays by Sonali Bhattacharyya, Zoe Cooper and Kalungi Ssebandeke will explore the theme of Outside in April.  As Guy Jones, Orange Tree Literary Associate and curator of Inside recalled “in and out felt like an appropriate axis by which to examine the world we inhabit now, anticipating a time when our freedoms might return” and as the pandemic blurs the threshold between our definitions of inside and outside, it make sense that these themes will be recurring in the opening seasons.  

First chapter of Inside/Outside, Inside is composed of three intriguing pieces. Set literally inside the same evolving decor, four walls visualised by an entrance, a symbolic wooden frame as a window and some furniture. 

Deborah Bruce’s Guidesky and I centres on Diana Harris, a middle-aged woman who gets scammed after buying a cat bed on the Internet. Among an escalating email exchange with well-known scam artist Guidesky 125, Diana starts speaking. Her mother just died, she needs to clear the house, it’s the middle of lockdown. With things tangled up in her head, she’s trapped, she needs to tell someone and unravel things but who? And do words help when you can’t share them with others? Samantha Spiro’s brilliant nervy monologue performance of a lady standing on the edge with Deborah Bruce’s tense and taut writing resonates with us, as we deal with the consequences of crushing isolation and an uncertain future. 

In a smooth transition, Diana’s home and thoughts let Meg and Samia from Joel Tan’s acutely written piece, Where The Daffodils, take to the stage. What seems to be a perfectly regular visit between Meg, a senior lady at home, and her carer Samia, unravels the vulnerability and isolation of the older generation who have been deeply affected by the virus. Ishia Bennison’s eloquent portrayal of Meg faces a not-so-insouciant younger generation with Jessica Murrain as a vivid Samia, who feels the same but they are yet to discover how the duration of the pandemic will affect her hopes and dreams for the future. 

Another nice transition follows and we see Jay, mask and gloves on, at a self-service checkout in the supermarket. He does not seem himself. Soon, he meets Callisto. Ursa Major shows two strangers who share an unexpectedly connection. It’s strange how you can share something with someone unknown, who has completely different life experiences, and it only takes a brief moment in revealing the past and present to each other to realise. Carried by Joe White’s well-mastered writing, Fisayo Akinade and Sasha Winslow give accomplished, warm performances, which conclude Inside with well-hidden but still to be found, notes of joy and hopefulness.

Inside’s three plays are directed by Anna Himali Howard and have the same creative team throughout. Three individual pieces, written by three talented writers, appear to the audience like three acts of one play. Three deliberately timeless and universal pieces of life with lonely yet strong figures revealing thoughts and consequences. The well-thought out static set evolves through the plays, designed by Shankho Chaudhuri, with lighting by Jessica Hung Han Yun and music/sound by Anna Clock. 

Judicious camera work and focus is shown by the Umbrella Rooms, who bring an “interesting hybrid of a stage play and a piece to camera”, as Deborah Bruce replies upon asking how her experience was of writing for a digital production. This style may not have been permitted in another context so it shows the incredible adaptability of the production team and theatre to deliver these live experiences and recorded performances.

***** Five stars

Reviewed by: Alexia Irene

Inside is available to stream until 27 March here.