Friends are your family away from home; a network relied up and formed usually within our formative years. Often told secrets our own families are not aware of, friends are a great source of support, impacting positively towards our own mental health and well being. These are probably one of the strongest bonds we’ll form within our lives. Rascal Theatre‘s Galvanise celebrates this notion, the power of the friendship bond particularly during our teenage years.
Galvanise’s concept is an ambitious one, synergising the stories of influential figures that have gone before us, and in this case, the lives of three school girls. The show instantly revels in its authenticity; three strong, witty female leads bouncing off of eachother’s energies. Helena Westerman’s playful script makes it incredibly easy to build up a rapport with the cast; tackling issues such as mental health and doing so in a relatable manner. The show’s autheticity, fused with its signature of looking back at history builds a unique world – making it an intriguing show to watch.
Caroline Simonsen’s direction further adds to Westerman’s autheticity, Westerman (Jess), Raagni Sharma (Lakshana) and Angelina Chudi (Shanay) relatesble leads. Diana Garcia’s animation gives the show its signature aesthetic; hand drawn images of Anacaona (1503), Chieftain to the Taino people, Grace O’Malley (1570), an Irish Pirate and Lakshmibai (1858), Rani of Jhani, in particular Grace O’Malley caters to Galvanise’s ambitiousness; these worlds of old accessible to a contemporary audience.
Galvanise is fun, it doesn’t take itself too seriously however is able to explore important issues in an approachable way. This is a show that could be performed at schools it speaks to the younger gen. I look forward to seeing the show’s next steps, a clever piece once developed further.
Review written by Lucy Basaba.
Galvanise was shown from Wednesday 27th February until Sunday 3rd March 2019 at this year’s Vault Festival. To find out more about Rascal Theatre, visit here…
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