The Courier & Advertiser (Angus and Dundee)
Thick Skin, Elastic Heart
Perth Theatre, February 7; Macrobert, Stirling, February 8
In a constantly evolving social, political and technological landscape, a theatre piece that tackles the here and now has an inbuilt danger of very quickly becoming dated.
In the case of Thick Skin, Elastic Heart, it can even have elements within it that become irrelevant in the middle of its touring run.
“We’re back in rehearsals this morning and we’ve already had to make a couple of text alterations specifically in relation to the political climate,” says writer and director Drew Taylor.
“When we did the tour at the end of last year, it was before the general election so there’s a reference to that, and there will be other changes as we move through. But what’s so beautiful about the work is that it responds so accurately to the time we’re living in right now.”
Thick Skin, Elastic Heart features four performers (Robert Elkin, Danielle Jam, Charlotte Driessler and Cameron
Fulton) confronting what it means to be a young person in an age packed with uncertainty but full of endless possibilities and driven by a seemingly permanent digital haze.
Among the topics aired are mental health, identity, addiction, sexuality and societal expectations.
“What we have striven to do with the work is capture a moment in time while the whole thing is laced with universal struggle,” adds Drew.
“So yes, there are specifics to the time we’re living in right now but any audience member from age 14 plus will find themselves in the work.
“We’ve deliberately created a structure so that there’s a kaleidoscope of voices that smash against each other and there will be at least one that will feel almost direct in terms of your own living experience.”
Thick Skin, Elastic Heart is the place where performance poetry and theatre meet, and features four performers who are highly skilled in both disciplines.
“Perhaps unusually for a work that is largely about the digital culture all around us, there isn’t any digital hardware on stage.
“I work a lot with young people in my job and it’s been really amazing to create something with Thick Skin, Elastic Heart that captures particular voices within a younger generation, and this digital age has certainly shifted how we communicate with each other,” Drew notes.
“It’s also something that has created connections across the world; connections that we would never have had beforehand.
“What I think we’ve done differently from other recent productions within this landscape is simply acknowledge its existence within it, to the point where there actually aren’t any digital devices used in the show.
“You’ve got four people and a floor cloth and some furniture and we create a kaleidoscope, a beautiful, technicolour world that allows you to escape when you watch it.”