How often do we admit to not really knowing all the facts about an issue before having our say on it, or even casting a vote? How often do we make up our minds about an issue and stick with our view, only opening our ears to the evidence that confirms what we already thought? In this solo performance, Jenna Watt challenges us and herself over the Trident nuclear missile programme, which is based at Faslane in Scotland.
Beginning with a very nifty sequence that demonstrates how meaning and symbols are manipulated and changed with the passage of time, Watt – raised in the 90s after the end of the cold war – sets about trying to arm herself with information from those on both sides of the debate about Trident. It’s made all the more complicated for her because, while many of her friends would like to see the dismantlement of the missile base, Watt’s uncle and cousins work there. For them and many in the neighbourhood, their livelihoods depend on it.
Despite a lifelong aversion to “hippies” (possibly a result of family conversations around the protesters), Watt visits the peace camp. She also wangles a visit to Faslane and talks to those on both sides of the debate. She is drawn back and forth across the stage by the arguments. She seems quite convinced by the suggestion that having Trident “gives us a seat at the table”, before stopping and inquiring: “What table?” It’s a low-key and sometimes witty show, in which Watt is effectively thinking out loud about matters of life and death. There is an underexplored reference to a rift between Watt’s own immediate family and the Faslane branch, which if it were developed further might give the show more emotional layering.
But this is a thoughtful example of theatre-making as a form of investigation, and Watt is an engaging presence who offers her material and feelings with an unvarnished honesty.
At Summerhall, Edinbugh, until 28 August. Box office: 0131-226 0000.
