★★★★★
Dead Centre, award-winning international theatre company, landed in London with their critically acclaimed show Good Sex, created in collaboration with Emilie Pine, award-winning essayist and novelist. Good Sex stars a variety of well-known (and loved) performers. I had the pleasure of witnessing Jack Gleeson (Game of Thrones) and Phia Sagan (spin-off House of the Dragon). Other performers include Anoushka Lucas paired with Lucy McCormick and Khalid Abdalla with Mei Mac. The team for this production is Ben Kidd (director), Sue Mythen and Abigail Kessel (Intimacy Directors), Bush Moukarzel (Dramaturg), Tilly Taylor (producer) and featured Liv O’Donoghue, Maeve O’Mahony and Barry McKiernan.
The concept of the production is in line with Dead Centre’s thought-provoking nature by questioning how sex is presented onstage—to do this, actors show up having never rehearsed together, never read the script, and tell a joint story on betrayal, loneliness and desire (and sex). To help guide them on this journey is an intimacy director. Are you unsure of what that is? They teach people how to touch.
Dead Centre has a phenomenal reputation for ground-breaking theatre and have blown me away by their commitment to solely relaxed performances and Pay What You Can ticket prices, with a few performances including BSL interpretation. One major question that has risen in the industry is about consent, performance, safety and artistic representation when it comes to sex, mental health and process.
The show itself opened with two performers seated inside a glass box talking with the intimacy coordinator. The show was unique because two performers acted as the ‘leads’ in the show (Gleeson & Saban) having never have seen the script. Instead, they were fed their lines through a live mic feedback system by the two actors inside of the glass box. Initially, this had a highly comedic effect on the show, the feedback, delayed reactions, movement and lines were slightly misaligned, awkward and funny. However, as the evening grew on, I found myself moved to tears at the intensity of the performance. It was funny, horrifying, hilarious, and disturbing—and I could not recommend it more.
There was a major push-and-pull element as it moved between rehearsed and live performance—there was never a moment I could anticipate what would happen next. Saban and Gleeson could not have larger praise for jumping into the performance so readily; there were moments I doubted if they had rehearsed this show prior. Additionally, the other performers Liv O’Donoghue, Maeve O’Mahony and Barry McKiernan were phenomenal, acting as a guide for audiences into the narrative.
The show took a major turn when Maeve O’Mahony and Barry McKiernan left their boxes and put on a show-stopping fight, performance and ended up having intense ‘sex’ onstage. I was blown away by the symbolism here and very impressed by the performances given by O’Mahony and McKiernan, who had masterful control of their emotions.
Intimacy coordination is making new waves in the theatre world, and it is remarkable to witness the rise, especially showcased and prioritized by major companies such as Dead Centre. I think opening up the conversation about sex, safe sex, and the portrayals of sex is incredibly important, and doing it in this way can be ground=breaking to new performers, audiences and current culture in the UK. It is important to talk about vulgarity, about sex, about consent, and how this comes to fruition. I think flipping the rehearsal process on its side, allowing audiences into the space and opening the conversation towards process is brilliant. It allows people to flip the script, put themselves in a directorial, production and coordinator role, witnessing the new rise of heterachical directing. The world of art is changing, and we need more people in productions than ever before, this show demands audiences see the work and effort of human storytelling.
In this production, I felt like the practice of intimacy work was not wholly explored as the coordination between actors was not fully worked through together, instead it was improvised movement with check-ins coordinated by the other performers on stage. I think the lack of shown intimacy coordination, for example, when Jack Gleeson and Phia Saban simulated sex on the kitchen counter and there was a 30-second silent check in, allowed audiences to fill the gaps themselves, almost shying away from the topic in general. I found this choice interesting, to say the least.
Intimacy coordination is not something to be left to the side, to the actors or to the creative side of the team. Intimacy coordination, as shown, is most productive when it showcases the actors, their abilities and their comforts. Importantly, I loved that this production highlighted the demand for people and their presence, showing that this is not a role that can be replaced. In an odd way, it reminded me that theatre (and art) is for humans by humans. Computers and processors cannot consent.
In a show that is taking place live and without rehearsal, it can be extraordinarily difficult to time lighting and sound sufficiently, however, this show was incredibly unique in its concept and execution of a slow-building scenography. As the production continued, we watched the couple slowly unveil their relationship as the walls, props, and set were slowly being built around them.
The lighting, set and sound design were highlights for me throughout the entire evening. The slow build of the physical set as the literal building and breaking of a fourth wall was beautiful. I felt myself deeply impacted by the slow rising lights, the music building across the space, and the slow build of the atmosphere.
Personal highlights for me included the animal noise audience-included orgy (where one audience member gave a phenomenal interpretation of a horse), Jack Gleeson and Phia Saban seated on a couch eating popcorn watching a couple fight (then followed by aggressive simulated sex), the active participation of the stage managers (who interacted with the performers and audience) and Dead Centre is well-known across the international theatre circuit, with a strong tendency to put on evocative, intense and challenging theatre. To put it simply, it was a delight to see their work live. This show is the epitome of what theatre is, process, collaboration, improvisation, connection, humor and emotional storytelling.
Battersea Arts Centre claims to be a Home for the extraordinary and with this performance they have gone above and beyond in their programming of Good Sex. Battersea Arts Centre is a hub to creatives across london, infamous for their history in radical political discourse and ground breaking speeches. The history of the centre runs deep and it is truly a delight to support them tonight.
During the post-show discussion, it was a delight to meet and chat with Ben Kidd (Dead Centre Artistic Director) and Pelin Bașaran (BAC Creative Director). I encourage members of the public and artists across London to continue to show their support to the team.
