Winter has nearly descended upon Northern England, and as the students and townsfolk of Durham navigate the ever-intensifying cold, they are offered a comforting seat inside Sir Thomas Allen Assembly Rooms Theatre amongst the uniquely talented cast and crew of Pitch Productions, Durham University’s own student-written theatre company. Tense, personal, emotional, and explosive- Andrew Bovell’s Things I Know to be True combines quick-witted humor, relatable conundrums, and complex interpersonal relationships to bring about a very raw and intimate depiction of a working-class family in modern-day England and the impact of familial love on personhood and the overall happiness of its members.
Sitting at a little more than two hours of running time, this story ebbs and flows near-seamlessly over the course of one particularly eventful year, in which the beloved family garden exemplifies the changing of the seasons whilst the repetitious monologues of each of the siblings in their anguish personify the changing of their respective lives. The Directors are to be credited highly for their understanding of these characters and their complexities.
Spirited and engaging, Sophia Jenkins as Rosie Price opens the show with a synopsis of her experiences in Bangkok, where she has spent her gap year from university, and divulges that despite the city’s inherent beauty and opportunity, the most eye-opening occurrence to note was a tumultuous love affair between herself and a handsome boy from London, who leaves her short of a few precious items and more confused than ever about what she wants out of her own life.
The audience then follows Rosie to her childhood home where they meet the rest of the Price family, complete with three additional adult children and her seemingly unremarkable mother and father, portrayed by Cara Crofts and Isaac Slater, respectively.
The first child to join Rosie and her parents on stage, Lottie Roddis’ performance as Pip is striking and evocative, very boldly encapsulating the pressures often placed upon eldest daughters and acting as a quite evident character foil to the Price children’s vivacious but devoted mother Fran. Throughout the production, Pip and Fran display deeply-rooted similarities in personality yet vastly different life choices, and as these two struggle to understand one another, the viewers are left to wonder if each woman wouldn’t be happier with the other’s choices instead.
Also carrying a torch for misunderstood children, River Blatch’s Mia is introduced as the quietest Price sibling who describes themself as somewhat of an outsider in both their family and their own life, enduring unspoken struggles and providing a powerful and believable representation of those who have felt particularly overshadowed or estranged among the people they love most. Thankfully, Blatch’s character is not to be neglected in terms of importance, and is instead given one of the most impactful scenes in the play, within which heightened emotions and varied prejudices make plenty of room for energetic, suspenseful acting.
Tristan Olesiak joins the cast to impress as the youngest Price brother Ben, a flashy and arrogant accountant, whose role is almost underwhelming until his breakthrough scene in the second half of Things I Know to be True. As Ben’s perfect facade crumbles, Olesiak gives an outstanding and electric performance that leaves the audience both shocked and utterly impressed. Not for nothing, this character sheds light, and consequently darkness, on the reality of financial class discrepancies and the social hierarchy in England.
At the heart of the play and the Price family, Crofts’ portrayal of perpetually stressed Fran Price is as familiar as it is remarkable, and her story, while not compounded into its own monologue, is made deeper and more complex as the play progresses. Within this character, playwright Andrew Bovell explores the intricacies of motherhood and the complicated balance between family and independence.
The rollercoaster of emotions evoked by this production is brought to its peak during an undeniably gripping display of anguish by none other than Isaac Slater, who plays Bob Price as a passive yet genuine father with ease. It is this outburst specifically which makes the audience shed more than a few tears with its tenderness and passion.
Production manager and set designer Cameron Howe sets the scene for this drama comfortably, and the stage and respective technical crew connect the scenes with an efficient ease. Directors Harvey Hill, Iphis Critchlow, assisted by Beau Singleton, unify this diverse cast to create a relevant and poignant production fit for casual consumers and theatre enthusiasts alike.
Produced by Rhiannon Morgan, themes such as love and grief, individuality and ambition pierce the veil between fiction and reality, and the garden’s allegory for the ever-changing nature of life make this piece truly impressive and certainly worth your time. For the upcoming season at Durham Student Theatre, Pitch Productions will have big shoes to fill.
Written by Emily Cassidy.