Taxi takes the audience on a dramatic drive, visiting the underbelly of urban Leeds in a collaboration of Red Ladder Theatre, mad dogs dance theatre and Spin Arts.
The original concept came from the founder of mad dogs dance theatre, Douglas Thorpe, a former taxi-driver. He has worked with Rod Dixon, in his final role as artistic director of Red Ladder Theatre Company, to develop the idea and engage the writing skills of Andrea Heaton.
This is not a narrative-driven piece. Scenes record Taxi’s interactions with his passengers. At times the interactions represent real communication, but often there is a lack of recognition and they become alienating. This a tale of the difficulty of seeing and being seen in an urban environment. As the piece continues, threads begin to connect. The City weaves its own story.
This production has been years in the making. The creative team emphasise that its development has been a collaboration amongst everyone involved, including dancers and actors. I am unsure at what point Old Woollen was chosen for the premiere, but it is ideal. The industrial ceiling fittings of the former weaving shed provide a real sense of urban grit.
The stage had been moved from the rear of the building, where I recently watched a band, to extend down the centre of the room, enabling the audience to be seated on either side. The catwalk style stage has been painted with white markings to resemble a road. During the eighty minute continuous performance, the whole space is utilised, with members of the chorus regularly joining and leaving the audience.
Clever lighting throws patches of light and shadow across the stage. The lighting is enhanced by illuminated signs which add context to scenes; film titles, an order and collection point for a drive-in burger bar. Constantly lit, stage centre, is a yellow taxi sign.
The production is based upon Thorpe’s experiences in Leeds, but there is only one direct reference to the City – Clarendon Maternity Ward. I found my mind locating scenes in waste ground near the Armley Gyratory, Horsforth Cemetery and the LGI. If I had watched it in East Leeds, other sites would have come to mind. The piece could be about any urban landscape,
We have two guides on our journey: Taxi, the initially unnamed driver, played by John Rwothomack, and Mal, played by John Kendall. We first meet Mal (feature image), a taste of the physicality to come, when he springs onto the venue’s bar to harangue the gathered ticket holders. Minutes later, he is leading us to our seats.
An ensemble cast (Stefania Pinato, Gerard Headley, Rose Ellen Ellis) and a community chorus play other passengers. The community chorus also act as a device for scene changes and to represent the population of the wider City.
Red Ladder has always had a commitment to community engagement. It was encouraging to read testament from mixed-age chorus members about what they had gained from the experience. One man had returned, having been part of a production eleven years earlier.
There is a stand-out performance by Rose Ellen Lewis. She inhabits two very different characters and utilises different dance styles. Her body movements convey both mood and personality. Gerard Healey shows his ability as a voice artist. His character vocalisations were so different that I had to check the programme to make sure it was the same actor. Stefanie Pinato oozes grace in her acting and dance moves.
John Rwothomack makes a very believable taxi driver. We feel his loneliness, fear and uncertainty, gradually gaining insights into his life. The character of Mal is perhaps the most challenging. John Kendall does a good job of showing desperation, nihilism and intelligence, his physical performance indicating his various mental states.
This is physical theatre at its most convincing. The boundaries of drama and dance have been broken down. Characterisation is as grounded in movement as words, but the words and movement match one another seamlessly. In truth, this is more like the world we inhabit on a daily basis where speech is not necessarily our primary method of communication.
Taxi has to deal with situations that are frightening, upsetting and at times horrific. Whilst we recognise that social workers, police and counsellors need support, we fail to recognise that others carry a psychological burden from what they observe. His attempts to clean refresh fabric, but not his mind,
Yet there are points of real communication. Times when others recognise him as a significant person in society and their lives. Hope hovers in the wings. The production explores themes of trust, loneliness and fate. You are left to dwell on these and perhaps to consider the person behind the wheel when you next take a taxi.
Taxi is at The Old Woollen until 20 August.
Sunny Bank Mills • 83-85 Town Street • Farsley • LEEDS LS28 5UJ
All photography by Anthony Robling.
