When All is Said – Unity Theatre

Fuel Theatre’s When All is Said is a collection of five short plays, that are written by Black Trans people, in their own voices and performed over the phone. Each play lasts approximately 30 minutes and tells a different story about what life is like, if you are considered ‘different’ from the people around you.

I heard ‘Home is where your heart is lying on the open roads’ which was written by the Curator of the pieces, Travis Alabanza and was performed by Alexis Meshida. It is a taxi journey that journeys into the past and shapes us and the places we live/are from. Meshida was able to convey compassion, empathy, anger and was able to take you on the full journey through the telling of the story. The piece was well written and made you think about your own interactions and actions. The direction from Emily Aboud and Leian John-Baptiste has helped the actors to convey their message over what. feels like a very short phone call. You get swept up in the story and it definitely left me wanting to hear more. So much so, that I am tempted to book, so that I can hear all five stories.

You’d think with it being an over-the-phone performance, it would feel weird, but after a few minutes, it felt natural and you forgot that you were holding your phone. It would have been nice to see the play full-length and acted out, but even on the phone, it was a thought-provoking piece that made you evaluate your own decisions.

When All is Said is being performed from the Unity Theatre until 7^th April and tickets are available from https://www.unitytheatreliverpool.co.uk/whats-on/when-all-is-said/. It is also available from https://fueltheatre.com/projects/when-all-is-said-2/ until 6^th May.

Reviewer: Jenn McKean

Reviewed: 3rd April 2023

North West End UK Rating: ★★★★