Memories are the fabric of this touching and inspiring play. Written and performed by Rebecca Clarke and directed for the 2006 tour by Teresa Bell, with the assistance of original director Wayne Blair,
Unspoken explores a personal journey. The narrative of the play is about Rebecca’s struggle to find love and self. This inner journey is set against the backdrop of her struggle to come to terms with her family and her disabled brother who was diagnosed at eight months old with epilepsy, scoliosis and cerebral palsy, rendering him severely disabled.
This autobiographical nature of the play creates a revealing and insightful glimpse into the complexity of emotions that confront individuals when challenged by life’s experiences.
Through the use of vivid imagery, told in verse and expressive physical theatre, Rebecca takes the audience on an exploration of the terrain of her heart. The tension of this play is built on a young woman’s exuberant and tempestuous search for love as she tries to escape a reality she cannot avoid. While some of her experiences lead to dead ends and failed relationships, Rebecca discovers that the key to inner freedom and deep love lies in her own truth and not in the world outside her.
The technique of frank and direct audience address, delivered in an energetic, lyrical and symbolic performance style, creates a visceral theatrical statement of personal experience. While the events of the performance are about Rebecca’s life, the audience easily empathises with her recollections. It feels as though this story could be about your own adolescent struggle to find self and to make sense of the inescapable, invisible and resilient bonds of family.