Review: THE LEFTBEHINDS, National Theatre Secondary Schools Tour

What do you get if you stir in a little of The Wizard of Oz, a little of The Iron Giant, a little of Tomb Raider and season the pot with a Mad Max aesthetic?

Well, one answer is The National Theatre’s Secondary Schools Programme’s The LeftBehinds, a new play co-created by Bristol playwright Ross Willis and director Ned Bennett that has just finished its nationwide tour. BroadwayWorld ventured under the Westway to Morley College’s North Kensington campus to see the production and take the temperature of this corner of Arts Education under a new government happy to talk the talk, but with questions to answer as to providing the resources required to walk the walk.

You can see how the kids love this stuff. It’s all full throttle storytelling, with heroines and heroes, jokes and japes and passions and puppets. It’s loud too, especially so in the unforgiving acoustics of the sports halls in which it is staged, but younger ears are rather better at dealing with that than your correspondent’s ageing lugholes!

Ryn Alleyne lends the lost girl, Kit KnightShade, a steely determination that hides the insecurities of a Dickensian orphan girl alone in a post-apocolyptical landscape with just her wits and bravery as a defence. Francis Nunnery is The Android, initially just an arm, before the questing gang assemble its body parts, its intentions never quite reliable, keeping everyone on their toes. Emma Gray’s cat/dog hybrid puppet brings a scatalogical humour to the play, but the farts prove rather more than mere pantoish light relief as the plot develops.

The thoughts of a reviewer matter little as I'm at the other end of the journey; it’s the teenagers seeing theatre for the first time that count, the door opening on a world of opportunities, characters, narratives and hopes that run in opposition to so much of the toxic nihilism that floods too much of their lives. Bad actors can be driven out by good acting.

Joe Graffham, Curriculum Team Leader for English at The Warren School, Romford, said “The National Theatre’s production of The LeftBehinds is without doubt one of the most enriching and inspiring events to have taken place at The Warren School. The impeccable standard of professionalism and care shown by the organisers, cast and crew made us feel part of something special and, most importantly, that our students deserved to immerse themselves in theatre of the highest calibre. The transformation of the performance space was phenomenal and the team worked tirelessly to ensure every detail was covered. The performance itself was beautifully written and directed and delivered with such empathy and humour that our students felt a connection with the story and themes of humanity and our relationship with technology. The Q&A provided a wonderful opportunity for students to learn more about careers in the arts and the breadth of opportunities in live theatre- a career which, thanks to The NT, is now a prospect for many of our students!"  

Don't as many of our kids as possible deserve that? Perhaps a bit less Daily Mail appeasement on banning smartphones in schools and a bit more encouragement towards engaging with the cultural wonders of our nation (and beyond), might be advisable? Like the vast majority of MPs past and present, they'd want their own kids to see it. 

There is still a significant question mark over the future of the NT’s Primary Schools Touring Programme, its 100% funding cut provoking outrage six months ago. With public finances as they are and, presumably, will be, it’s unlikely that Arts Council England will emerge flush with cash from the forthcoming Spending Review, but that runs counter to the Government’s priorities as stated in policies and rhetoric.

We know the investment works, we know it changes lives and we know we must make this argument all day every day if we are to protect and, better still, develop an introduction - for all kids - to an art form thousands of years in the making.   

Click here for more information about the National Theatre’s Schools Touring Programme

Photo Credits: Alex Brenner