CityLife

Demo by Will Davis

BARELY a day goes by without scenes of protest – peaceful or otherwise – on our screens from near and far afield.

This Spring’s G20 summit sparked public demonstration amid criticism of police heavy-handedness.

Topically then, Demo is a short exploratory piece featuring two young men, one gay and one straight, who have been arrested during an anti-war march.

Forced together in a confined space, tensions rise as they discuss discrimination, protest, sexuality and human nature.

The wood-panelled walls of the intimate Central Library committee room make a convincing cell, and there is a great natural dynamism between the two actors.

The play explores motivation for political action, contrasting the morally assured, black and white rationale of the gay character with the contradictory, more personal motivations of the other.

Some gentle mockery of protest culture lightens the tone, humorously exposing the problems inherent in viewing the world in certain terms and the ease with which beliefs can become dogmatic, even when anti-establishment.

Ending rather abruptly but appropriately on the idea that “people don’t make the right choices, they just make choices”, Demo is an engaging piece that touches on a lot of interesting ideas without (again perhaps appropriately) coming to any definite conclusions.

Tweet