Female Transport

‘Female Transport’ by British playwright, Steve Gooch, was written in 1973. This prolific writer has penned about two dozen plays, mainly concerning lives of poverty and struggle. His book ‘The Cut Shakespeare’ is recognised as a classic reference for explanations to the characters and events in most of the well-known Shakespearean plays.

The venue for this two and a quarter hour play is the Old Mill Theatre, Mends Street, South Perth, with performances at 8.00 pm until Saturday 8^th May. There is one Matinee, on Sunday 2^nd May at 2.00 pm.

         It is 1807, and a bunch of scruffy women are dragged through the docks – the auditorium - on their way to the ‘Sydney Cove’, a badly overcrowded, rundown British warship that is being used for prisoner deportation - the better vessels are fighting in the American Colonies.

        The wooden side of the ship moves away, to reveal six female, petty criminals whose lengthy sentences are penal servitude in Australia. They are cooped up in an animal pen in the dark, foul hold of the ship. Thus starts their arduous, six-month journey from Liverpool to Sydney, facing apathy, cruelty and unspeakable circumstances. Nance (Kyla Jones) is a rebel, but at the same time the older mother-figure who helps her fellow prisoners, by teaching them to have the wiliness and absolute resolve to survive. Winnie (Ariel Simone), after grovelling to the Captain (Damien Nott), becomes the cell’s supervisor.

        The callous sergeant (Phil Barnett) is helped by Tommy, an immature 16-year-old first mate (Adam Dear), who matures in this single trip, both as a sailor and a full-blooded man – thanks to Sarah (Jocelyn O’Neil).

        The Captain tries to make economies to increase his profit, but he has the ship’s surgeon (Tim Prosser) to contend with.

        Soon the initial continuous bickering amongst the women cools off, and Nance’s stance against the supremacy of the crew does her no good. This is tremendously distressing for the young, doll-hugging innocent and naive child, Pitty (Melissa Kiiveri), despite ample comforting from Madge (Kirstie Francis). The only wench that seems to have any power over her wardens is Charlotte (Kate O’Sullivan) and her drive for solidarity.

The set is magnificent (Hywel Williams, Phil Barnett and Tim Prosser), it makes you squirm and really feel for the prisoners as they eat their rancid food and putrid drink. Jenny Prosser’s costumes were well-researched and created. Jenni Glassford’s scene changes fast and efficient. Lewis Johnson’s teching spot-on.

Despite having the six women and often 2 -3 men, in the cramped confines of the small cell, Hywel’s direction was inherently complicated, but successful - well conceived. The girls’ cockney accents are faultless, their interaction genuine and depiction of misery wonderful. Special congratulations to Kate O’Sullivan and Kyla Jones who really got down and into their grubby streetwise characters perfectly. As the programme warns, the language was florid – but realistic for the characters and period of the play.

Although the play’s content has many dire situations, there is still a barrel load of earthy humour from the prisoners, as they do all they can to make life bearable below decks. But there lies my only complaint of the play, whilst it is often effective to have humour before a tragic event, here the author has mixed the humour in with the heartbreak, and despite the high quality acting and directing, the result I felt killed one of the most touching and important scenes of the play. This was a play that demanded a great deal, and was satisfying and successful in most scenes.