Slung Low Theatre Company have long been known for doing things differently and creating immersive theatre in unusual spaces. When they set about filming James Phillips’ The Good Book, they could hardly have known that just a few months later the world would be in lockdown, and recorded ‘theatre’ would be in such high demand.
This short film deserves to be classified as theatre, it’s the first production from the newly formed Leeds People’s Theatre, which works with communities in Leeds to put them at the heart of large scale arts projects. As a result, the production enjoys a convincingly generous ensemble cast to accompany the smaller number of protagonists.
Phillips’ story is set in a future Leeds. It follows on from his 2015 piece, Camelot: The Shining City, which premiered in Sheffield, and here the story picks up on how society has changed since the orphan who led a revolution became Queen Bear. For anyone who didn’t see this production, which spilled out of the Crucible, in to the streets, and included a flame throwing tank, the story may be a little hard to grasp initially.
Queen Bear herself is facing revolution this time, as followers of Galahad protest outside public libraries calling for the burning of ‘bad’ books, chanting the mantra “purity perfection,” a civil war is brewing between the Galahadis and the Queen Loyalists.
As an audience it’s not immediately clear who’s side we should be on, or indeed if we need to take sides at all. The central character, Avalon is also struggling with this dilemma, determined not to show allegiance in way, despite encouragement from Vivian (Katie Eldred), but following a fight in The Holbeck Social Club, she finds herself tasked with a mission to save an important book, and is joined by Geraint along the way.
Even if you’re not familiar with the back story, The Good Book makes it clear that this particular adventure is filled with danger. The protesters on the streets cover their faces with home-made masks (particularly prescient), and freedom of expression has been suppressed as censorship of the media is rife (you can decide for yourself how much foresight is in that one). The feel of Camelot carries over in to Brett Chapman’s production, military fatigues are covered with the Knights Templar regalia, and swords are drawn just as often as guns.
As Avalon, Riana Duce captures the balance between fear and bravery perfectly, demonstrating the difficulty faced by a young girl drawn in to a war she doesn’t want to be a part of. Angus Imrie is an impressive Geraint, and in the final minutes of the film succeeds in shocking the audience with a particularly powerful performance.
Throughout the thirty minute running time there’s a sense of foreboding, and much of that comes from the tremendous music of Heather Fenoughty, which helps guide us to conclusions or assumptions not always available from the dialogue.
Like any good book, when this one comes to an end you find yourself wishing there was another page to turn. It feels like Avalon’s story is just beginning, and there’s more material waiting to be uncovered in this dystopian future. But given Slung Low Theatre and James Phillips’ past form, there’s every chance that The Good Book is just another stepping stone to something great.
The Good Book is available to stream online for free from 12pm on Friday 1st May at www.slunglow.org/TGB
