by Louiza Hadjipanayi
Octopus is a brilliant play written by Afsaneh Gray, excellently executed by students of the Bristol Old Vic Theatre School.
Cultural identity and ethinicity
It explores themes of cultural identity and ethnicity, questioning what it means to be British, and where the line is drawn between being British and not being British.
Is it something that’s shown by your skin colour? Or defined by where your parents were born? Or grandparents? Who decides this and why?
Through this we can see the residue that questions such as ‘Where are you really from though?’ have left on the writer’s life.
The play is set in a dystopian future where people with non-British grandparents must go through an interview set by the government to check if they are ‘British enough’.
A tale of three women
We see this experience through the eyes of three women with clashing personalities, ideologies, and images of the world. One of them very ignorant, with failing efforts of not offending the others, one that praises success and money and the third who is dedicated to making art even though it doesn’t make much money.
These differences between the girls form a tense atmosphere which is slowly but surely dissolved when they find more and more similarities and connections through their shared growth of frustration with the desire to change the system.
Sisterhood in the face of injustice
The naivety of the women was faced with the harsh reality of racism which fired both fear and anger in them. The play delves into themes of religion, ignorance and finally sisterhood in the face of injustice.
The exceptional script was complemented by the intimate and immersive venue and setup.
The actors fully embraced their characters, and embodied every aspect of them, captivating the audience and really taking us on a journey of emotions of outrage brilliantly mixed with uncontrollable laughter.
These were topped off with a smart choice of songs that kept the audience engaged and excited, bringing nostalgic and relatable notes to the atmosphere.
Photo credit: Craig Fuller
