BE COUNTED AT PLYMOUTH’S DRUM THEATRE
Counted
Election fever grips The Drum Theatre, Plymouth from 26th October to 30th October as it presents “Counted”, the new play from Look Left Look Right who previously brought the sell out The Caravan to the Drum. As in their previous work, the company has created the piece through “verbatim” theatre meaning that they have recorded interviews from real life and used it to form their narrative.
247 spoke with Mimi Poskitt, one of the artistic directors who explained why she felt the piece was so important at this time and why it had particular relevance for the younger generation.
The play was born out of research, carried out by Professor Stephen Coleman into attitudes towards voting, particularly with the young who often perceive going to the ballot box as a waste of time. To quote from the interviewer in the play – “At the last general election, only just over a third of 18-30 year olds bothered to vote. This year, less than half of under 24s – the next generation of voters – are even registered to vote. And if young people, in particular, are not voting, you’ve got an immediate problem for democracy, and a long term crisis for democracy. The immediate problem – they’re not voting now. The long term crisis – when do they acquire the habit and why should they?” So the play looks at these important ideas and what it means to count yourself into society.
So, this play is something that you feel will make the younger sections of the audience think about themselves and their relationship to the world around them?
Exactly, most young people don’t see the elections as something that directly impacts on their lives. If they want a skate park or some other amenity then they want it immediately and can’t see how a vote for the right person might enable that process to begin
So really they are looking for results to happen straight away?
That’s very true. We live in a very quick society where communication and ideas occur at a far greater pace than before. That’s why a text vote for “X Factor” or “I’m a Celebrity” makes much more sense for them. They see the results of what they’ve done with another show later that day or the next evening. Voting in an election is a long term investment in both their future and the future of their community. As they say in the play “the way to connect young people to politics is to connect them to the fact that if they’re fed up with their lives, they can change their lives and it’s at a much more grass roots level”. Voting is the means in which they have their say . . . even if it takes a bit longer to see any results.
The Caravan was staged in an actually caravan outside the theatre . . . are you planning something similar with this show . . . perhaps holding it in a polling booth?
(Laughs) No nothing so restrictive. Actually, in most of the places we’ve performed on this tour we’ve used old council debating chambers which gives the piece a nice resonance. That wasn’t possible in Plymouth unfortunately but the Drum makes a great venue.
So, to conclude, you feel it’s a play with something very relevant to say to a younger audience?
Definitely, it sends out the message that, if you’re fed up with your life . . . then this is the way that you can change it. Voting is more than being counted in number terms. It’s also how you make yourself count in society.
Counted is running at the Drum Theatre from Tuesday 26th to Saturday 30rd October.
Words: Alan Butler
