Inspired by true events Inferna transports us back to 1960s Australia for an unflinching exploration of trauma. When sheltered and naive Calynn becomes pregnant at fifteen,her misguided mother has her carted off to a church operated maternity asylum located on the other side of the country. Having had no say in conceiving a child in the first place, it seems Calynn’s pregnancy will also be on other people’s terms.
Constantly drugged by distant, cold and God-fearing nurses, our protagonist must navigate her way through this strange and terrifying ordeal. She befriends roommate Daya, who enlightens her with some reality checks while imparting tales of her own tumultuous times. Meanwhile back at home, Calynn’s mother retreats further into her bottles of booze to numb the pain she experiences from the death of her husband. Calynn’s best friend worries about her whereabouts while her little sister also pleads for answers. The truth is not revealed until she finally returns home, clearly traumatised and irrevocably changed.
The fact that such institutions existed and got away with the mistreatment of vulnerable women for so long is very sobering and writer and director Madison Cole should be commended for tackling such subject matter head on. There is some lovely writing over the two acts, however on occasion overwriting creeps in and one senses an edit would be to the scripts benefit.
An interval offers brief respite from heavy themes, however, also slams the brakes on any momentum that’s been building. Perhaps playing straight through would afford the piece greater dramatic weight. The traverse staging is another interesting choice. Usually, it invites a sense of intimacy with audience members seated either side of a catwalk like stage but here that doesn’t seem to be called for. While it allows us to flit from different locations as scenes unfold at either end, it also feels a tad clunky and again intrudes on the pacing.
Fortunately, the committed cast of Inferna propel us through. We immediately invest ourselves in Arabella Morton’s Calynn. The actor convinces as the ignorant and younger than her years teen, before showcasing shock and outrage at what has happened to her along with a raw fragility. Phoebe Hooper is tasked with portraying our leads 8-year-old sister and it’s no mean feat that she effectively embodies this role.
Ciaran Barker doesn’t have a great deal to work with as boyfriend and father to Calynn’s son James, but he makes the best of the material he’s given. It’s a shame that some characters are thinly drawn as James’s story in particular certainly has the potential for some more exploration.
Alice Pryor is well cast as the one nurse with a conscience while Maire McGovern successfully captures the icy sternness of her senior colleague. Paloma Hill is engaging as Calynn’s bestie and Ida May is suitably detached as the mother, although she is again a character who has not been fleshed out as fully as she could be. Gracie Oddie-James delights as Daya and provides a wonderfully assured and multi-layered performance to complete the cast.
An easy evening of escapism this is not, but ultimately the play carries a positive message about human resilience and our ability to survive. With some further development this message could come through with even greater dramatic impact. For now, Inferna feels somewhat of a blueprint for something greater, but Cole certainly cements themself as an interesting talent to watch out for.
Inferna is at Riverside Studios until 5th February 2025
