REVIEW

BUCKETS

DORCHESTER YOUTH THEATRE

CORN EXCHANGE, DORCHESTER

WHAT’S it all about, life I mean? This Adam Barnard work is an ideal subject for young people to perform and the Dorchester Youth Theatre members pull off an amazing feat in a drama that is thought provoking, stimulating and thoroughly entertaining.

Played in the round, the 12 teenagers take the audience on a journey that challenges us all to examine the purpose of our lives and how we deal with the dreams and disasters that happen to us.

A ticking clock sets the tone for the start of the work as the cast sit among the audience and periodically mount the raised platform to say their lines in a drama that has a whopping 33 scenes, no small task for the young actors to handle as they tell their story.

With no props or any other theatre aids, the drama tells of their bucket lists, fantasies and hopes along with sorrow, death and disappointment, all handled with skill and sensitivity thanks to brilliant direction by Jo Simons.

“You have to play the hand you’ve been given” says one of the boys as they struggle to cope with family, career choices, friendships and awkward decisions.

And if the plot tends to wander off from time to time, the short scenes soon pull the whole thing together again with smart phones and computer games inevitably playing their part in the lives of today’s young generation.

The Youth Theatre members will be taking part in an Arts Week at Thomas Hardye School from August 21.

MARION COX