Making a drama out of a crisis: Actors plumb depths to create a harrowing picture of flooded city
Watch a sneak preview of the new Hull Truck production about the 2007 floods that engulfed Yorkshire.
Sitting in the East Riding's newest theatre, having made the trip from West Yorkshire, it takes only a few moments of Rupert Creed's play before you're made to squirm.
The cast of Hull Truck's latest production stand on stage, yet to take on the characters they will play in the production, and are making a speech as a chorus.
They relate some of the extraordinary numbers that came out of Hull on Monday, June 25, 2007.
110mmof rain in 24 hours.
8,000 homes flooded. 20,000 people affected.
"And what did they show on the telly?" ask the chorus.
"Leeds. Didn't show much of Hull. The forgotten city." Was Hull 2007 like New Orleans following Hurricane Katrina? Had the city really been forgotten? At least one resident of Hull thinks so. Playwright Rupert Creed spent five months researching stories of people from Hull caught up in the flood and its aftermath for a Red Cross-funded project.
When the stories came together Creed realised he had the perfect material in his hands for a play.
The story of the great Hull flood had everything – drama, people battling against corporations, triumph over adversity. It also had, at its heart, a human tragedy. Michael Barnett was the 28-year-old who got stuck in a drain during the floods and never came out alive. Taking all the stories, Creed weaves a multi-plot play to show not just the lead-up to the floods and the event itself, but its aftermath.
To a disengaged bystander the first act is an exciting build up. As the waters rise, so does the tension and you wonder who's going to come through the events unscathed.
Then there are moments where you find yourself stopped in your tracks when you realise that this isn't just a story dreamed up by someone.
This piece of verbatim theatre is based on real events. Michael's dad has seen the play. The policeman talking about the terrible desperation of trying to free him from the drain is actually still out there, dealing with the fallout.
Would the skilful weaving together of the stories work just as well if this wasn't based on the truth? Probably not, something which is emphasised when the play sags a little in the second act.
However, this is a play based on real life, as extraordinary as that may seem, and because of that it is a powerful piece of theatre.
This real-life element appears to have inspired all involved, from the composer Stuart Briner, whose score is brilliant, to the lighting designer.
The cast, mostly Hull Truck stalwarts, really plumb the emotional depths – the fact that they have a connection to the region evident in their performances. Martin Barrass, in the scenes when he plays Michael's dad, gives a performance that represents a shell of a man powerfully. Marc Bolton brings his usual charm to the stage and Robert Hudson, playing Rocky the policeman, is as good as I've seen him.
If all this makes the play sound parochial, it really isn't and Creed's play should go someway to redressing Hull's place as the forgotten city.
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Sunday 12 February 2012
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