Proteus Theatre directly confronts misogyny, cancel culture and creative defiance in Indestructible, a sharp art-world dramedy that weaves expertly between the present frustrations of a fictional contemporary of Emin and Hirst, and the legacy of her female forebears, whose careers are so often defined in relation to men.
Writer/director Mary Swan’s script asks: What happens when a Young British Artist is no longer young? For Catherine Shaw, played with driving and unabashed poise by Mary Rose, the answer is heavily inflected by one’s gender. ‘It’s different for women,’ she states, in response to gallerist Christian (Danny Charles) offering to drag her out of undeserved exile with a new exhibition.
This kicks off an extended reflection on the frustrations of being pushed out of the art world, and the duty Shaw feels to tell the story of other overlooked women, and uphold those who are coming up now. Conversations with Christian and her friend and dealer, Robin (Paul Huntley-Thomas), paint a picture of the wild nights of her youth and quiet after-party of her middle-age, drawing out the contradictions of having once participated in a far more explicitly male-dominated culture.
Stories like this that directly confront the persistence of misogyny in the art world feel urgent and sadly infrequent, and it is in the brilliance of Shaw’s character, with her wit, directness of emotion, and rhetorical finesse, that we really feel what’s missed when older womens’ perspectives become marginalised. Not only are we privy to a series of bonus art-historical discourses, but the unfolding drama of her involvement in the sexual assault allegations against Robin ramps up moral heart of the piece to a state of pleasing tension.
Dialogue-heavy scenes occasionally let this slacken, and a tightening of the forward action would help to deliver the play’s arguments through story rather than polemic, though a series of televisual interludes — a gameshow, a cookery show, a panel discussion — bring moments of vibrant disruption to the show’s serious themes, effectively implicating the audience through some well-deployed interaction.
It’s an intensely visual production for a show all about perspective, with Christopher Harrison’s cleverly-integrated projection elevating the aesthetic of the performances with disturbingly effective AI artworks, and humorously placed internal thoughts popping up across the frame. Paula Varjack’s virtual exhibition adds an extra layer of character, politic and realism to the show, expanding its scope and allowing us to see exactly who Shaw is through the work she’s chosen to present.
Indestructible effectively tells a story of our cultural institutions, exploring the complexity of ongoing sexism from a variety of perspectives and expressing both the subjugation and power of female creativity. The focus on Lee Miller is full of fascination, respect and scale, and the forward-facing outlook of the story makes up for occasional lapses into more conventional theatrical forms. If at times a heady two hours, this is a show that handles its arguments with great skill, and will inspire audiences to keep pushing for change.
Indestructible is at Omnibus Theatre until 3rd February
