“Politics is theatre.  It doesn’t matter if you win.  You make a statement.  You say, ‘I’m here, pay attention to me.’”–Harvey Milk

 The Polis was rough and ready, but therein lay its beauty.  Comprised of five politically focused short plays, as well as spoken-word poetry written and performed by Justina Kehinde, this night of experimental theatre did what was promised: it inverted the famous words of Harvey Milk, and made theatre politics.  In the intimate and informal setting of the ADC bar, this one-night-only performance provided a powerful platform for a critique of modern politics through multiple perspectives. 

The plays were generally sharp and dynamic.  ‘Anonymous’ played on the compelling conceit of a secret political party, “hidden under the surface of the government”, whose membership is comprised of MPs who are actors hired to exhibit blatant ineptitude.  A special mention should be given here to Clementine Hollyer, whose portrayal of wily female politician was impressive.  ‘Making Feminism Fashionable’, a humorous monologue written and directed by Poppy Damon and performed by Octavia Sheepshanks, was undoubtedly the highlight of the evening.  More than any of the other plays, it succeeded in incorporating the political introits integral structure.  In a particularly noteworthy moment the audience was reminded to sign the petition to bring back jelly wrestling; “we don’t want the Wyverns to think the feminists are ruining their fun.”

The three spoken-word poems read by Justina Kehinde beautifully punctuated the performance.  ‘Chav’ – which was read at the very beginning of the evening, and explored the harmfulness of the way that the term is used– set the tone for the kind of reflective, thoughtful theatre that was to follow.

I worried at times that the overall piece lacked a kind of binding coherence, that a “throw-anything-to-do-with-politics-at-the-wall-and-see-what-sticks” approach had been taken.  I realised quite quickly, however, that the mishmash nature of The Polis was its best feature.  In its higgldy-pigglydyness it mimicked the kind of political discussions that people really have.  In this respect the ADC bar played one of the most important roles of the evening: it was the symbol of concourse, the place of meeting for a diverse range of political stories, just as those kinds of places tend to be in reality.  As a result, the lines were blurred and the audience was brought into the performance in a way that is quite rare.

 The Polis represents an innovative and exciting new avenue for the Cambridge theatre scene.  I hope to see a lot more like this in the near future.