Preview: Blame
Sarah Jefferies talks to the writers of controversial new play Blame
Blame is a new play premiering at the York Theatre Royal, written by the critically-acclaimed duo of writer and broadcaster Beatrix Campbell and social worker and commentator Judith Jones. Following their first play, And All the Children Cried they have turned their attentions to the decline of the British working class; in particular, the crisis of child poverty in ‘a biting exposé of Britain’s new underclass’.
The play is a part of ‘the renaissance of political theatre’, and with a recent United Nations report putting Britain at the bottom of a list of 21 countries on child welfare, the time has come for people to take notice of these issues. When questioned on the role of the media as a protagonist in this crisis, Beatrix raised the undeniably common view that “the poor are a class to be maligned and mocked, they are a national joke. Whilst the media is by no means responsible, it compounds the existing sense that they are ‘a class not worthy of our concerns’.”
As described by Beatrix, they unfortunately fit into “an overarching culture that sees that part of the population as to blame for everything”. The production itself is not naturalistic, with an ‘epic’ and ‘multilayered’ nature with plays on devices of time and space; however, Judith is keen to reiterate its ‘authenticity’. This is a play based on the writers’ real experiences, and the voices and plights of the characters exist in reality. The plot surrounds the disappearance of an eight-year-old child and the resulting search, not just for her, but also for who is responsible.
Who is to blame, within the walls of the play and within the social world? As the writers say, “It will be for the audience to decide. We’ll just let the characters speak.” They also reiterate Blame’s relevance to students; they want to hear students’ views on it and would “be very happy to talk”. As a character in the play says: “Look behind it, look beyond what you can see”. I think this could be a lesson we should all learn from the play. Blame is showing from March 3 to 17. Talk-backs following the performance will take place on March 7 and 14. Tickets cost £5 for students.
