Currently touring secondary schools ahead of a run that will form the centrepiece of Kiln Theatre’s inaugural schools week, Synergy Theatre Project’s production He Said She Said by Magero Otieno-Magero achieves an awful lot in a short space of time.
The forty minute production, which is followed by a post-show Q&A, uses spoken word and poetry to weave a story that so many young people will be able to identify with, and will be eye-opening for parents and carers too.
We meet four characters; Kayla and Andre are a couple, but the relationship might be more problematic than it first seems. Denise likes Yusuf but he just wants to impress Kayla. Denise feels sure that if Yusuf only knew her best friend the way she did, he wouldn’t be so interested, and maybe there would be a chance for her and Yusuf to get together.
It’s a relatively short running time, but Magero Otieno-Magero manages to build a strong story arc and create believable characters. The dynamic between Kayla and Andre for example, sees an unequal power balance, whereby Andre is controlling and disrespectful.
Yusuf too, wonderfully portrayed by Farshid Rokey, comes across initially as a bit of a geek, a fan of anime, that could never command the attention of a popular girl, only to emerge as a deeply complex character. It’s in interactions with Megan Samuel’s brilliant portrayal of Denise, that we see the truth behind the Snapchat filter.
What’s so remarkable about He Said She Said, under the direction of Esther Baker, is the way it treats its young audience; neither patronising them, nor pushing them too far. It finds a balance of challenging them to think about the characters they are watching, and make informed decisions about what they have seen. The post show Q&A demonstrates just how big an impact this show has on those watching it.
It tackles big themes, but they are themes so incredibly relevant to young people; knife crime, gang culture and social media, Katy McPhee’s set design uses a simple backdrop of social media logos to highlight the influence they have in society today. Synergy Theatre Project is a company that works with prisoners, ex-prisoners, young offenders, and young people at risk of offending, and the authenticity really comes through in the performance.
Particularly from Jermaine Freeman as Andre, who delivers a stirring monologue towards the end of the play, even without the benefit of the post-show Q&A, it’s clear that Freeman’s heartfelt delivery comes from a place of lived experience.
LJ Johnson is terrifically confident as Kayla, and it’s in this character we see the real danger that social media can play in a young person’s life, “you can’t be an influencer when you’re so easily influenced” she says, as her world crumbles around her.
Synergy Theatre Project’s He Said She Said should be seen as a clarion call, and is a play that as many young people as possible should see. Not just because it’s entertaining and insightful, but also because it will give them the confidence to share their own views on the story they’ve just witnessed.
He Said She Said will run at the Kiln Theatre 8th – 11th March 2023. There will be a live streamed event of the production at 11.00am on 14 March, followed by a live Q&A with the cast and creative team.
