Silt Song (Greenside @ Riddles Court, Thistle Theatre) is a production by Quirky Robur Theatre Company, comprising pupils from Forest School in leafy East London. This is their first foray to the Edinburgh Fringe, and their play was written and directed by a Forest alumna, Eva Cotton.
The show is mainly spoken word, but there is also music, played by two of the cast members, and singing. The staging is simple but effective, and the costumes—designed and made in school—are a lovely touch. Props are minimal but used well, and the chemistry between the actors is affecting. There is some beautiful choreography, very much in keeping with the story as it unfolds.
All of the actors and musicians in Silt Song are accomplished, and their performances polished. It was sometimes hard to remember just how young these actors are. There was no weak link in the team—no matter how big or small a part they had to play or how many lines to remember, each member of the cast contributed equally.
The story is based on a true one and considers universal themes of love, loss, rejection, and the ill-treatment of women by men who should know better. It’s beautiful, poignant, and very well done. The main character is 16, and I guess the actor who played her was not much older than that—which brought the themes into sharp focus even more. She looked young and slight but was full of love, hope, and a desire to breathe the air of a wider world. Her friends and family reacted as friends and family still would today—friends curious to know every detail of this new love and family afraid of her impetuosity and for her future. And yet all still supportive, particularly given the oath that they had sworn earlier—never to forget each other, no matter what.
There is some consideration of man’s psychological frailty as well as his treachery, and women’s fury as well as their sometimes physical frailty. This makes the story more than just two-dimensional and the more thought-provoking.
Silt Song is recommended for ages 12 and above but may be more suited to slightly older teenagers and adults. It deals with some distressing and potentially triggering themes.
