The final films from Talawa’s Tales from the Front Line have been released today and they’ve certainly saved the best til last. The plays use verbatim interviews from Black key workers to explore how lockdown and coronavirus have affected them and their perceptions. 

Episode 5 is directed by Michael Buffong, with Episode 6 directed by Ifrah Ismail, and writing, choreography, music and performance by Chisara Agor. 

Episode 5 sees Adjoa Andoh (Bridgerton; Fractured) share a teacher’s story, which weighs up the distrust of information that is being presented, the unease at vaccines, how quickly they have developed and the choice she has to make to protect the children she teaches. 

It is a touching story and is well presented. However, the use of voiceover slightly takes away some of the personality, as the visuals follow a lady exercising and then certain graphics that relate to the parts of the story that she is telling including hospital admissions and vaccination information. 

The story itself is well told and both empathise with its audience’s thoughts and dispels certain rumours. This is particularly prevalent in the parts about the vaccines, stating that she was sceptical about the presentation in the media but decided that she would have it anyway so that she can give the children a hug who need one.

Episode 6 is much more of a dramatic spectacle and uses physical theatre along with projections and lighting to portray self-care and resilience. 

It begins strikingly with heavy breathing; both relating to George Floyd and the symptoms of coronavirus. It then goes on to present a voice-over and a woman using physical theatre to portray a way of calming her inner self and giving the audience the chance to calm themselves. 

The use of lighting is clever for the different scenes, and helps to bring out the emotion of the piece. 

The saving of these two tales til last provides the opportunity to be reflective on the series as a whole and how impactful it has been as a drama series.

An excellent piece of theatre that has been used to its maximum potential to portray the stories of Black key workers and has really highlighted the issues that need to be addressed in this country.

Bravo to all at Talawa Theatre Company for a passionate series. 

****’ Four and a half stars

Reviewed by: Emma Littler

The films are all available to view on Talawa’s Youtube page here.