Tonight the Heslington East based Black Box Theatre staged an omnibus of student based talent in the form of Stories From The Cocoa City. Centred on the waxing and waning success of the York chocolate industry, the second year project approached both the intimate and corporate fronts of an integral aspect of the city’s makeup; seen through the warming lens of verbatim theatre (Verbatim theatre takes the words and anecdotes of real life people and adapts them for the stage). With each group allocated 30 minute slots and given a month in which to fill them, the results were- unsurprisingly- mixed.
The first piece delivered to the sold out audience was Bittersweet Century, a frenetic overview of chocolate across the 20th century. If conceptually ambitious, the product was unrelenting in its fast paced, metronomic form; the minimalistic set used ingeniously as everything from the whirring cogs of the factory to a protest bus destined for London. The production values of this section are undeniable. Under the guiding hand of Director Sarah Cotterill, the 9 strong cast interacted seamlessly with one another and the stage, immersing the audience in everything but the rich smell of chocolate.
With the cast all listed as ensemble, morphing roles with the passing years, the play’s immediate concern was to evoke a mood rather than relying on the audience’s investment in well formed characters. With the enormity of the task in mind, it has to be considered a success. Moments of beauty arose as Maria Terry and Christian Smith doused the stage in sound and light, viscerally chronicling the fractious effects of the World Wars. Such intensity was counteracted by the light relief of Rhys Hayes and Oliver Dickens who boasted, if not overly convincing Yorkshire accents, the ability to emulate the casual, 1970s pervert and command the stage.
The 20 minute break following the section saw bountiful amounts of chocolate plied upon the audience members and gave me the chance to talk to an ex-Rowntree employee. Interviewed by the production team and used within the play, her endless enthusiasm and admiration concerning the opening scene pays far more testament to its quality than I possibly could.
Back in the auditorium, the length of the break became understandable as a huge frame now stood centre stage. The product of George Morgan, the set pushed the cast and audience closer together in a move that echoes the section’s greater preoccupation with the characters.
As much as the previous short was linear, Anna Thirkettle and Poppyann Medhurst’s production flashed forward and back, speaking of the personal trauma induced by the chocolate empire’s collapse. Charming anecdotes of the marketing difficulties of the misogynistic Yorkie Bar were delivered in a broad spectrum of accents; the audience craning forward as flecks of West Indian seemed mysteriously to creep in.
The narrative can be broadly understood as consisting of three sections. The first sees Alice Bravery play the role of a modern day chocolate shop owner, detailing her attempts to chronicle the stories of the local industry. The second consisted of Oliver Brassel and Nick Armfield, two ex employees explaining their respective woes following the factory’s demise. Both offering strong performances, the characters spoke past and to one another, reflecting the conflict inherent within a beleaguered private sector. The third had four factory girls living, working, scandalising and offering some touching moments.
With the sometimes erratic distribution of these parts and the repetition of several motifs, the narrative was at points hard to follow and difficult to immerse oneself in. Regardless, the ambition, novel use of the stage and intensity of the characters renders it a success.
The third section, The Happiness Business, was a far more modest undertaking. Focusing on the twilight years of Terry’s, the timespan was far shorter, the actors fixed to their characters and as such, the narrative the easiest to consume.
Director Connor Abbott and Producer Tom Giles offered a stunning visual interpretation of the 7 writer’s work. With less reliance on sound and lighting than the two previous shorts, the clever symbolism of the iconic York factory and the stoney faced modernity of Kraft Representatives Emily Williamson and Alex Mulvey were allowed to shine through.
Whilst not necessarily a reflection of acting ability, the suitability of the players to their roles stood out, with Rory Hern showcasing a gentle geezer underside as both journalist and driver. Pete Watts delivered a pitch perfect performance as President Peter Terry; a man torn between rousing rhetoric, belief in his company and bare faced shame following its demise. The effect of such downfall was felt by redundant workers Stevan Jeram and Beth Sherburn, who bounced off one another in thick yet surpassingly convincing Yorkshire accents with comic mannerism to match. The foundation of the pair is purportedly a production coup, the respective interview taking place following a chance meeting with ex-employees in a local pub.
The one criticism one can direct at this final section is its emotional simplicity. Where the previous two were unashamedly opaque, The Happiness Business was slightly hyperbolic in its delivery. However, conside
ring York chocolate business’ status as an artery of the community, such emotive reckoning seemed heartfelt and offered a cathartic conclusion to the evening.
In all, Stories From The Cocoa City is a powerful piece of theatre. The overlapping themes of the three sections and their diverse styles and ambitions formed a true spectrum of work that was as informative as it was intriguing.