Paines Plough – The Place I Call Home Festival
31 October – 07 November 2020
Reviewed By Sally Richmond
5*****
We all face new challenges as the coronavirus continues to keep us in lockdown and sadly, the arts and hospitality industries have suffered more than most. What astounds me is how wonderfully creative and innovative some individuals and companies are being in response to the pandemic, by coming up with fresh and exciting ways to work in order to capture and engage an audience. One such work that does exactly this is the final play of the Paines Plough ‘The Place I Call Home’ festival – Posta Aerea – written by: Giuditta Mingucci and Rosie MacPherson, directed by: Charlotte Bennett and Kate Posner, with the talented cast of Nikki Patel and Genny Bianchi and produced by Paines Plough, Elsinor Centro di Produzione Teatrale in Milan, and Stand & Be Counted Theatre in the UK.
It was beyond exciting to receive a brown envelope containing what felt like a cryptic package of documents in the post telling me when I was allowed to open it. A letter, when did you last receive one of those – an actual letter and not a bill! Thrilling! Once that day came to open the mysterious sealed A5 curiosity, I was fascinated to find a mixed media of correspondence between two teenagers, Aisha and Tania. What unfolded were letters, post-it notes, postcards, media links to videos and even a live phone call!
The plot is based on two friends who met on a beach a year ago and who now cross the borders between Sheffield and Riccione, through different methods of communication to keep their friendship alive and nurtured in this current pandemic. There is an exploration of adjustment – how they adjust to a new way of living along with the issues that teenagers face in everyday life too. It’s a touching and warm story that gives an insight into how what is now being called the ‘Covid Generation’ shape their lives.
Live theatre may not be available to us at the moment in the way that we know it but this team really are bringing theatre ‘home’! That magical essence of inventiveness and artistry that makes a live performance so special is present in Posta Aerea because of the uniqueness in the multifaceted ways that the audience gets to participate and it’s highly original.