I loved supporting emerging talent so when I was invited to Southwark Playhouses’ production of The Trials, staged by their youth ensemble I jumped at the chance. The play itself by Dawn King is set an an indeterminate point in the not too distant future where young people are sat as a jury of the older generation or ‘dionos’ as they are (not so) affectionately known are on trial if their carbon footprint has surpassed a certain threshold. We learn that these trials are occurring all over the country and due to the number that are ongoing there is only 15 minutes per defendant for the jury to reach a majority verdict and decide the Defendants fate.

The play itself is well paced and reels the audience in gently at first, throughout the show we meet 3 Defendants and are fed crumbs of information about the state of the world that they are inhabiting gradually gaining a bigger picture of just how bleak it is. There are some moments of hyperbole which whilst gets the point across as to just how bad the climate crisis is, other moments do this with more finess.

The 3 Defendants submissions are played on giant video screens on the back wall of the stage and after the 1st Defendant’s one is played we gradually learn as much about the jurors themselves as we do about the world. It is also a play that gets you thinking….about what your own verdict would be if you were sat in the Defendants chair, how you would have found the defendants if you were on the jury and even about bigger issues around the environment, the justice system and if it is right or wrong to condemn someone for doing what everyone else was doing at the time. It is a well balanced piece that for the most part doesn’t lecture the audience but simply gives us the fuel for what will hopefully become our fire.

The cast of 12 do a brilliant job of allowing the audience to get to know their characters – a lot of the time the characters are listening to the other debate or watching the Defendants submissions but at all times I could clearly see the characters. The dialogue flowed incredibly naturally between the 12 of them and it is so reliant on the back and forth and the debates that it is hard to pick out standout performances (although of course I will).

Emma Judge played head Juror Ren and her calming demeanour was wonderful amongst the madness that began to descend. Harry Japes as Noah displays a huge range of emotions throughout the piece, going from someone the audience are frustrated with due to his dogged belief that everyone is guilty before even hearing their testimony to someone that elicit sympathy by the end. Syam Stewart as Hamida was utterly mesmerising with her passionate pleas throughout the show and Evie Desheva as Amelia portrayed a girl as a bag of nerves connivingly, eliciting sympathy from the audience for her predicament.

The direction by Vicky Moran was well considered. Along the centre of the thrust stage was a table and 12 chairs however at no point in the show were all jurors simply sat around the table debating, the jurors youthfulness is enhanced as they lay across the table, crouch on the floor or at other moments pace the floor. The movement flowed naturally and ensured that despite the thrust setting no key moments, looks or dialogue was lost to the audience. The thrust setting also worked brilliantly, making the play feel all that more confronting.

If you are looking for a piece of theatre that makes you think and sparks debate the Trials is worth seeing, combine that with the talented youth company then it makes it a must see.

The Trials is currently playing until 30th August. You can find out more and book here.

If you like this review you might also like my review of Witness for The Prosecution, Stereophonic and Stranger Things The First Shadow.