Review: Island Town / Blackthorn, The Weston Studio, Bristol Old Vic – ‘Brilliant examples of the pure magic that BOVTS can produce from young talent’

To end their annual four-week-long showcase of graduating students, Bristol Old Vic Theatre School (BOVTS) presents a well-coupled double bill of Island Town and Blackthorn. Sharp, precise and boldly thematic, we are graced with undoubtedly superb talent within both these two pieces.

Island Town follows a trio of late adolescents figuring out their newfound freedom from education, despite being contained by a remote village, and cut off from the glimmering idea of a stable, promising city life.

Frustratingly bored and claustrophobic, both Pete (Benjamin Cain) and Sam (Beau Bradford) fall victim to abusive families and dead-end jobs, whilst Kate (Daisy Graceson) occupies herself with substances to escape her life as a young carer. The notion of the ‘perfect’ life beyond the motorway and into the sunrise is aggressively yearned for, yet conspicuous by its absence.

We explore many hard-hitting themes throughout the short piece, ranging from coming-of-age to child abuse, grief, trauma and substance misuse. Despite being well-paced, and with palpable shock value, this play perhaps doesn’t allow the actors to showcase the fullness of their undoubted talents, since the writing never explores its great range of issues in much depth.

The crowded nature of brisk scene changes and conceptual jumps are utilised as a tool to hammer home the despair faced by the teenage trio, who are unable to escape their circumstances.

As the comically unaware Pete, Benjamin Cain shines with his charming inattentiveness and outlandish teen stories, wholly physicalising this role with a unique sense of hope and genuine compassion. This is juxtaposed sharply with Daisy Graceson’s stern interpretation of Kate as she slowly falls into a sort of delirium.

Together, the three actors handle the piece deftly, a foil to the unmistakeable darkness that envelops Island Town, allowing the audience to grapple with the potential pain and inevitable complexities that growing up can entail.

The second show of the night was Blackthorn, a two-hander which follows the relationship of the only two children born into a small Yorkshire Town as they navigate their changing landscape, ambitions and connection to their home.

From young childhood through to adulthood, we see how some people are destined to stay in our lives, no matter the strain or distance.

Alfie Morton (playing Him) and Honor Wiggins (playing Her) have an electric presence and connection on stage. Engaged and confident, they navigate the thrust staging with ease and understand the power of play within acting: evident from the opening scene as kids with scooters and fighting over fruit juice flavours, which makes a lovely atmospheric change from the previous performance.

We see their instinctual connection to their home through poetic scene changes talking of harvest and pagan festivals, painting their turbulent relationship as something that has been carved by the land they inhabit.

As an audience, we are shown two individuals who will inevitably find their way back to each other. The play is well-devised and smartly designed; a translucent back curtain casts a church-window light over the stage and costumes are expertly modulated to reflect the increasing age of the protagonists.

The ending, accompanied by an acoustic rendition of Coldplay, strikes a slightly odd note; ultimately however, Blackthorn is impressively dynamic and naturalistic, and is a credit to these two performers.

The final of four successive weekend showcases, both Island Town and Blackthorn are a brilliant example of the pure magic that BOVTS can produce from young talent.

Bristol Old Vic Theatre School Summer Festival is at The Weston Studio, Bristol Old Vic between May 21-June 13; there are four double bills in successive weeks, with shows at 7pm on Thursday-Saturday, and an additional 1.30pm matinee on Saturday.

Tickets are available at www.bristololdvic.org.uk, and shows are recommended for ages 14+.

All photos: Ed Felton

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