53Two is a great little theatre venue, bar, café and overall cosy setting. Based under the iconic Manchester arches, 53Two was created by Manchester Actors’ Platform, MAP, established to provide affordable, professional services for actors.
In doing so, it plays home to new and emerging theatre such as this new play performed by graduating students from the Institute for Contemporary Theatre: the company ‘Groundwork’ present, A Gen-Z Guide To Life.
As part of the ‘53New’, this show is at the beginning of its journey, performed in a safe and supportive space as the production starts to take shape. As stated by Groundwork at the end of their piece, they’re looking for feedback to improve and refine their performance to take forward as part of their dissertation.
The short performance (only 40 minutes long) is a blend of short sketches, each one linked by a foreboding ultimatum, the changing climate. Separated into seven chapters, the piece dives deep into the fears and pressures facing this generation of youngsters as they mature and head out into a difficult world.
The seven chapters include themes such as family, relationships and sex, money and the government, gender, future – all linking back to the environmental challenges the generation are leading the fight against. It’s clear that these students are creatively and emotionally connected to the themes of the performance, making it feel truly authentic and raw as they discuss the government’s response to the pandemic, Brexit and cost of living crisis, amongst their opinions of Elon Musk’s space exploration and Boris Johnson’s lockdown faux pas.
The short stories build a clear picture of the world Generation Z, or ‘Zoomers’ are growing up in, as they fight for a better world for their children and grandchildren. However, these episodic tales are somewhat disjointed, feeling at times far too sporadic and despite the overarching theme, they’re over too quickly with nothing interlinking each section, skimming the surface of a much larger issue far too swiftly.
The speed of the sections is exacerbated by the quick delivery from the young actors, who could bring much more emotion and depth if they experimented with the tempo of lines to bring deeper emotions to these hard-hitting themes. Despite this, the group’s acting is strong throughout, and the use of the ‘cabaret’ style audience seating works well throughout, naturally engaging the audience.
The set changes were frequent, due to the rapid succession of scenes. As a whole it needed less focus on set/props as it lacked a clear journey between each scene. This could have been achieved through more fluid set movements and the association of props from one scene to another.
The ingredients of a really impactful piece are all in motion, however it could benefit from a strong directorial vision to help it reach the potential that is definitely there. A Gen-Z Guide to Life seems to just scratch the surface of what this group could achieve with this powerful piece of theatre.
There’s no doubt that with their successful run at 53Two this group’s dissertation will be something they can be very proud of.
If you’re looking to enjoy some interesting new work by talented young performers, head down to 53Two for A Gen-Z Guide to Life, until 6th May, tickets are only £5.
Reviewer: Alison Baines
Reviewed: 4th May 2023
North West End UK Rating: ★★★