EDINBURGH 2023: Review: CONCERNED OTHERS, Summerhall

Concerned Others is a piece of multimedia performance art theatre by Scottish theatre company Tortoise In A Nutshell. 

Statistics flash up on screen about the horrifying statistics of drug and alcohol-related deaths in Scotland. Drug deaths are currently 4.6 times higher than they were in the year 2000. 

The performer Alex Bird is silent throughout the piece, leaving the talking up to the verbatim interviews played on a voiceover. There's talk about there being a 'type' of addict. A stereotypical view of someone down a dirty alleyway, a criminal. Healthcare professionals speak of having 'compassion fatigue' and finding that they become numb to hearing all of these devastating stories There are also statistics about the high likelihood of healthcare professionals developing addiction and dependency problems of their own. 

It's a shocking and hard-hitting piece. There is an element of puppetry as Bird builds a small town with tiny figurines and uses a camera to zoom in on them. It's extremely well coordinated as they switch up different dioramas to fit with the stories being told. 

There is a very clear contrast between the adverts condemning drug use but promoting the consumption of alcohol. Running at 45 minutes this is a very good educational show that aims to raise awareness but doesn't patronise or preach at its audience.

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