DDF 2026: Collingwood Arts Centre programme review
‘a deeply human, deeply realistic sucker punch that knocks you to the mat of emotion and vulnerability in all the best ways’
Part of Me (written by Sarah Johnston)
How do you carry the weight of depression and its effect on a young mind in only fifty minutes? The answer to that question is this massive gut punch of a play, beautifully written by Sarah Johnston who is wonderfully complemented by Director Merichel Herman.
The story here follows young Jamie, played by Layla Rodrigues, who, on the surface, appears to have the perfect life but is plagued by his almost parasitic relationship with D, played beautifully by Lucy Chisholm. D, if you have not guessed already, represents depression and is almost joined by the hip to Jamie, following him to school, to parties and even sleeping in the same bed as him.
The plot of this play is very reminiscent of the recent sequel to Pixar’s Inside Out but maintains an originality and a humanity that I think is rarely captured on stage, especially not this well.
Rodrigues is effortlessly sympathetic in her portrayal of Jamie. Her nervousness in her speech whenever she is questioned or confronted, her pained facial expressions, her closed off body language and her occasional bursts of anger are simply sublime and characterise Jamie excellently especially in the middle section of this play.
This immaculate performance is seasoned to perfection by Chisholm’s terrific performance as D. Despite having acres and acres of space on stage, Chisholm makes the deliberate decision to stay right on Rodrigues’s shoulder throughout. When she is not directly next to Jamie, Chisholm’s D remains close nearby only retreating towards the ending sequence almost as if she is signalling to the audience that there is a great co-dependency here between D and Jamie. Her facial expressions also pepper her performance with layers of emotion, looking disgusted when others speak to Jamie, angry when Jamie seems to realise the unhealthy nature of their relationship, and crestfallen at the end after realising the extent to which she has harmed Jamie.
That being said, the fabulous performances of our two leads are very well supported by a supporting cast of endearing characters that are not simply plot devices in Jamie’s story, but are the legs holding the performance up and the lungs allowing it to breathe at points where it desperately must exhale. Special mention must be given to Katherine Thompson and Dan Haines for their performances. Thompson does well to portray the kind, supportive friend in a way that is not only realistic but does not feel overbearing. Haines adds levity and a little bit of comic relief to a play that deals with subject matter so heavy that without his performance I fear I would be holding its weight long after its completion.
This review would not be complete, however, without giving credit to the creative and production team behind this emotional knockout punch. The lighting here serves as a powerful body shot hitting you with the themes of the story straight in the kidneys. This perhaps shines brightest in the scene where Jamie is in bed and a singular cold light illuminates him in bed, alone with D, completely shut out in cold white light. The blocking by our two directors Herman and Johnston feels so intentional and so brilliantly planned like a well-placed right hook. Whenever Jamie and D are on stage together, they are isolated, separated from the main stage existing on their own and in their own space until the end when Jamie begins to allow others into the space he once reserved solely for D.
It is a brilliant exhibition that leaves you stumbling and dizzy before hitting you with the emotional payoff - if I was to make one critique it would be that at times the dialogue was lost due to the actors’ voice projection, and I wish some sections of dialogue were slightly punchier. However, Part of Me is a deeply human, deeply realistic sucker punch that knocks you to the mat of emotion and vulnerability in all the best ways. An absolutely beautiful K.O!
‘raw, emotional, tragic and ultimately brilliant’
Infestation (written by Gabriella Whittley)
A huge critique of modern media based around war is that it romanticises war and glosses over the real harms that war has on ordinary people’s lives. Infestation does none of that. This play is based in a reality so steep it reminds me of the very first time I read George Orwell’s classic 1984; it is raw, emotional, tragic and ultimately brilliant.
Gabriella Whittley sets her masterpiece in the English countryside in 1916, the middle of WWI. The story follows Dorothy, played by Sophie Browning, a woman whose husband, James, is honourably discharged from the front lines once injured. James, played by Tom Castle, is not only physically injured but seems to be a new person entirely: a dangerous new person.
Firstly, credit must be given to the production team for the lighting in this performance. Light is used not as an accessory but as a narrative device in this production and it immerses the audience just as powerfully as the fantastic writing and acting on display. The beginning scene is bathed in this gentle warm light that feels like the calm before the emotional storm that is about to rain down on us in the next fifty or so minutes.
Nighttime sequences are garnished with a stunning purple that is dreamy yet ominous and it is under that purple light where the most gripping drama unfolds. Later that dreamy purple becomes a nightmarish red that turns the stage into an inescapable hellscape that entraps Dorothy almost helplessly in her despair. The use of haze as well is particularly ingenious as it hangs in the air like smoke rising from the trenches of France, almost as if the war has followed James home and makes its presence felt at all times.
Though the production is fabulous, the acting in this play is nothing short of breathtaking. Sophie Browning is an incredible lead and really brings this story alive. Her facial expressions and body language often speak for her before she even utters a word. Her closed, reserved body language in the beginning is a telltale sign of her nervousness and her uncertainty. The fear in her eyes and her subtle trembling when she is alone with James terrified me as I watched - you instantly feel helpless as an audience member as Browning appears horrified at what her husband has become. Even her line delivery hints at what is really occupying her mind as she attacks each line with immense skill. More specifically, her slip into a quick ‘yes’ before she just as quickly says ‘no’ when Mary, played by Jessica Cloake, suggests she call the police was fantastically played.
Jessica Cloake as Mary is also fabulous in her attire as a well-mannered, calm, supportive housewife and friend. The chemistry she has with Browning is so electric the hairs on my arms stood still. She absolutely commanded the space when she was on stage and played her character so naturally that I was nearly convinced she really was Mary.
However, a special mention must be given to Tom Castle for his portrayal of James. His tortured screams of ‘they got me soldier!’ will be the soundtrack of my nightmares for a long time to come. Castle is physical and loud but he is also sensitive; he chooses his silences carefully and wears his pain on his face much like he does his uniform, and he wears it very well.
Becca Moran and Noah James Benson are the ornate bow on this gifted cast. Though their time on stage is limited in comparison to their cast mates, they use every second of their time to perfection. From Moran’s frankly horror-esque portrayal of Helen bathed in white light like some twisted angel, to Benson’s John who is mild-mannered and excellent in his allotted role, the two round out this fabulous cast like the final touches of a Van Gogh.
Gabriella Whittley and Emilia Edwards should be incredibly proud of the story they have created. I have tried my best not to go into too much detail because I genuinely believe no words in my vocabulary could ever fully do this play justice. Its themes feel so deeply personal that I strongly encourage everyone that can to come bear witness for themselves only then will you understand the endless depth of this gripping story. I simply cannot stop Infestation from running through my mind.
‘it actually brought me to tears at its conclusion, not because it was sad but because I never wanted it to end’
Poetry Club (written by Ruby Huynh)
Never in my life have I gone from laughter to tears as quickly as I did while watching Ruby Huynh’s Poetry Club. Huynh deserves all the praise in the world for her exquisite writing of this funny, yet heartfelt story that did something that no other play has ever done; it actually brought me to tears at its conclusion, not because it was sad but because I never wanted it to end.
Poetry Club follows Martin, a slightly aloof but loveable, former English teacher who starts a poetry club for what he hopes are like-minded lovers of poetry. He gets the exact opposite. Martin’s poetry club brings together an unlikely mix of people all with a story to their name and a lesson to learn from Teacher Martin.
Noah Lazarides as Martin is as close as you can get to perfect casting since Jim Parsons was cast as Sheldon Cooper in the Big Bang Theory. Lazarides does not just play Martin: he is Martin. His movement, his self-monologuing, his awkwardness, his dry humour - everything that is central to Martin’s character oozes out of Lazarides and floods the audience with his quiet charm. We grow with Martin and feel his frustrations when the group goes off-topic and we laugh along at his cringe-inducing humour throughout so even as the set remains unchanged, we are still transfixed to the space.
But this performance is not complete without the strong chemistry that Martin has with Gabe Cardy-Brown’s Aaron. Aaron, the young reporter from the local gazette who covers the poetry club for the newspaper, just bounces off of Martin’s energy with such ease you would be pardoned for thinking Aaron was one of Martin’s students. Cardy-Brown’s childlike naïvety in his performance and equally awkward delivery is absolutely hilarious and his affection for Martin is clear, especially in the brilliant blocking choice of seating the two of them together away from the rest of the group.
It is hard to pick a favourite from the remainder of the cast as they all go to great lengths to embody their characters and keep this story on its feet, and they do so with astonishing ease. Nefertari Williams plays the elderly yet very chatty Diane with such grace that at points I feel like she should have her own fifty-minute production. Williams’ warm performance sits very comfortably next to Nia Keogh-Peters’ cold, infallible Tracey-Mae. Tracey-Mae is Diane’s carer who could not care less about poetry and oh, how brightly it shows. There is not a single moment where Keogh-Peters stops acting; she spends every minute focused on everything but the poetry and it is golden. Her burst of emotion towards the climax of the play is startling, which is its true power, and, in that moment, she absolutely owns the stage.
Posy Portwood is another brilliant performer who becomes her character. Halfway through her portrayal of Chrisitine, the struggling mum trying to fit in with the crowd at her sons’ private school, I was convinced Portwood drove a Range Rover Evoque to her five-bedroom house in the Cotswolds. This performance is even more striking when we learn that Christine feels she does not belong as we can see the frustration and pain etched on Portwood’s face in every way.
Last but certainly not least, Harry Robinson is annoyingly good as James. I can simply describe James as that one really annoying know-it-all in your GCSE English Literature class. Pretentious, know-it-all, annoying, extremely punchable - these are all very apt adjectives I can use to describe James and Robinson covers them all in his sublime performance.
Overall, this play is not in any way technically complicated because its real strength is the talent of its cast and the quality of its writing. This is no doubt aided by the directing prowess of both Ruby Huynh, the writer, and Maia Harris Lindop. The two have crafted a masterclass on how to build an emotionally fulfilling story without doing too much.
The choice to have the characters sat in one place is in aid of the overarching theme that they all must stay in this place to confront what is underneath, and they only really move when that is uncovered. There are many more subtle successful choices I could cover but that would take an eternity - ultimately, you will be doing yourself the greatest disservice if you do not see Poetry Club, it is worth every single second.
By Mwambu Haimbe.