Once upon a time we made things in this country, in places called factories, on production lines, where people worked. We exported those jobs to places where labour rates were a lot cheaper. Then we got new factories called call centres, which enabled us to sell things to people more cheaply. When we started buying things online, warehouses joined the call centres as the new factories. At the same time we out-sourced welfare benefits, which became claimant production lines, inhuman, inflexible tick-box processes. This excellent new play juxtaposes both of these phenomena.
Tamsin looks after her younger brother Dean, who has OCD, a life changing condition which the authorities fail to understand. She’s just got a job as an agency temp in the packing department of a warehouse, working alongside Luke, who’s filling time before he continues his education. They are attracted to one another and there’s some charming wooing. At the warehouse it’s all about rules and productivity targets, a bit like those factories where they made things, but more sophisticatedly measured and rigid. The supervisor is empathetic but confined by the procedures. Dean & Tamsin’s unsuccessfully navigate the benefits system while Tamsin try’s to navigate the new world of work. Another play to make you feel guilty about the society we’ve become.
Katherine Soper’s impressive debut is a beautifully written piece, with well drawn characters. Everything about Matthew Xia’s production is sensitive to the material. The performances by Erin Doherty as Tamsin, Joseph Quinn as Dean, Shaquille Ali Yebuah as Luke and Aleksander Mikic as the supervisor are delicate and nuanced.
Great new writing at the Royal Court.
Gareth's Culture and Travel Blog 
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