"Peeling"

Thursday the 31st of March I attended "Peeling", at the Lighthouse in Poole. My original intent had been to use this performance for my POP essay, now I'm a bit unsure.

The set was an intimate one, with seating right up to the stage. The light and sound booth was visible to the audience. The seats were bleachers, covered in pink fabric. They clashed garishly with the red carpet. The set was not extravagant. There were screens as a backdrop, and three cage skirt contraptions in the middle of the stage. Above it all was a screen narrating the entire play.

The play started with three women filling the caged skirts. It took a few moments to realize that one was a little person, the second was in a wheel chair, and the third one was deaf. They play actors in a play about the slaughter of disabled people. Most of the dialogue takes place in between their character's scenes. The talk moves from simple banter to a confession of each character's personal struggles.

While the play offered many things to write about in my essay, I think I'd rather write about something I enjoyed more. I found this performance heavy and unsatisfying. It was interesting, but I don't feel I gained anything from it.