Rotterdam
Progress Theatre
June 23-25
A TRUTHFUL story on coming out as transgender was authentically told by Reading’s very own Progress Theatre last month.
Progress Theatre performed an online adaption of Jon Brittain’s Rotterdam from June 23 to June 25.
It’s New Year in Rotterdam and Alice had finally plucked up the courage to email her parents and tell them she’s gay.
Before she can hit send, her girlfriend Fiona reveals that he has always identified as a man, and now wants to start living as one.
So Alice is now faced with a difficult question, does this now make her straight?
This bittersweet comedy centres around gender, sexuality and living far away from home.
Jon Brittains’ play pinpoints the complications LGBTQ+ people face when coming out to family and friends.
The cast of four included Esther Arzola, Faith Mansfield, Katie Moreton, Charles West, all of whom have previously acted in Progress productions.
Performed on Zoom, the play ran smoothly from start to finish with no technical hitches.
It was impressive to see such seamless transitions between the scenes, to which there were lots to get through.
The accurate eyeline and positioning on screen was greatly helped by the company’s in-person rehearsals that were held outside.
Director Steph Dewar explained at the post-production Q&A that the face to face rehearsals gave the actors a chance to get a sense of their surroundings and positioning on screen.
There were occasions where the actors’ heads were angled side on, so much so that you lost some of the emotion.
This could have been slightly improved by moving their faces towards the camera, whilst keeping the eyeline looking accurate.
Non-binary actor Katie Moreton’s take on Fiona/Adrian was very real and it made you sympathise with the character the whole way through.
Esther Arzola, who took on the role of Alice, goes through a whirlwind of a journey throughout the play and she portrayed the character’s emotions with great conviction.
Her relationship with each character is completely contrasted, showing her sweet side when she meets Lelani, played by Faith Mansfield.
Much to her frustration and shock, Alice tries her best to help Fiona by researching about becoming transgender.
Charles West, who played Fiona’s brother Josh, did a good job in showing his bitterness towards his sibling after Alice left him for Fiona.
Although there were quite a few different locations, with the support of Jon Brittain’s writing Ms Dewar’s direction made it easy for the audience to follow.
It’s exciting to see Progress Theatre’s upcoming production of Shakespeare’s love classic, Romeo & Juliet, at the Reading Abbey Ruins starting next week.
With over 25 years of open air plays at the Ruins, the theatre company will be bringing this much-loved story to life for its’ first in-person production this year.
For more details, or to book, visit progresstheatre.co.uk
