One of Two – Traverse Theatre

Jack Hunter tells the story of his Scottish childhood, with pre-recorded content from his tenacious twin sister, Bec. Jack and Bec both have cerebral palsy, and Bec, in particular, has really had to fight to make her way in life.

Jack is a multi-talented performer: an actor, a writer, and a poet.  His humour is playful and acerbic, but there is also a deep anger and a determination to change things.

Cerebral palsy affects every person differently. Jack walks with a limp and can’t tie his shoelaces; Bec is a full-time wheelchair user. At high school, they were forced to seek refuge from the other kids in the Base, a dingy “bunker” full of dilapidated furniture decorated with “ancient phallic hieroglyphs”. The playground was not a safe place for them.

A teacher rages at Bec for her messy handwriting, and her so-called support worker says nothing. The siblings are cajoled, by the shrilly condescending staff, into talking about cerebral palsy at assembly. Every experience seems designed to exclude them.

The siblings are young adults now. Jack found his voice as a performer.  Bec’s journey was more convoluted.  She was labelled a “problem child” and had to fight to receive funding to study at a specialist college. 16-year-old Bec is shown talking emotionally on camera about her loneliness and her desire to live a normal life.

Now her organisation, Naked Brains Consultancy, seeks to change attitudes and improve services for disabled people. It’s well worth looking at her Instagram, not least to see pictures of Gregg the service dog.

Jack suggests that mainstream schools put reasonable adjustments in place for kids living with disability.  Simple things like a bigger font, more time in exams, and tailored lesson plans. My understanding is that this is a legal requirement, and it’s disgraceful that in modern-day Scotland, kids like Bec have to fight just to receive an education.

Jack is at his best when he is conversing with Bec’s pre-recorded dialogue, and it would be great to see him interact on stage with another performer.

Jack and Bec are superb advocates for the rights of people living with disability.  They are creative, funny, and smart, and they are using their platform to call out the systemic causes of the problems they have faced. I hope that we can achieve real change on behalf of the current and future generations of children.

Reviewer: Wendy McEwan

Reviewed: 28th September 2023

North West End UK Rating: