Monday evening saw me rather unexpectedly at Norwich Arts Centre for a drama called Dirt. Settling into a seat a cautious distance from the set it was clear that the play would live up to its name, with three large and solid wooden tables on set covered in soil. For much of the piece the seven strong cast were rummaging about in this dusty loam. 

The reason for this odd behaviour emerged as we found ourselves set in a Fenland workplace where intense manual labour was required to sort out a few high value bulbs from the muck they are embedded in. Hard graft at piecework pay rates has attracted many recent immigrants who appear prepared to work for less than many of us would like to expect. 

First on stage is Catherine Luedtke as the boss Bernie. Foul mouthed and eternally grumpy she is ranting about her useless grandson Tiggy (Joseph Connolly), who should be at work but is late, having probably got bladdered in a local pub. Other workers slowly join, including Teapot (Ché Walker), Sarah (Gabriella Padula) and Oli (Leon AlBakry). Their workplace interaction will be familiar to anyone who has done time in a factory or other physical workspace: irreverence and misbehaviour, sexual tensions and inappropriate banter and an odd mixture of human warmth but very close horizons.

Tiggy eventually appears, to be shouted at by his Nan. He goes on to expect some support for his plans to escape the cloying Fen environment and become a London paramedic, but she abruptly dismisses his hope and aspirations. 

Amidst the tensions a new person arrives, Bulgarian woman Emilya (Darina Draganova) who works at a level of productivity the others cannot manage. Treated suspiciously at first she is met with outright hostility when their workplace appears to have been sabotaged overnight, losing them all earnings. Teapot voices the sentiments that has brought racist parties wide support in the fens area and she appears to be driven out, only later to reappear as the beautiful object of his dreams or fantasies. Final cast member Emma Fraser arrives as the stroppy teenage daughter Kelsey of single mum Sarah, who has to bring her to work for a little while. Kelsey won’t help at all, until Oli (who has a soft spot for Sarah) makes the work into a game that draws Kelsey in. 

Overall this was presented as a work in progress. It has some good writing and the cast have created very believable characters and interactions. A bit more in the way of clues as to what is happening at some points might help, but as it is the audience is sometimes left feeling as though it is intruding on scenes expected to remain private. It could be developed into a powerful drama with a strong message, although this might detract from the intimacy of the work as it is now. There is interesting use of movement to depict the tedium of the work and the closeness of the workmates carrying it out. I would love to see this show a bit further down the line presented to an audience in the area it depicts. It would be a great show to take to schools. The sweary start would engage kids straight away, with the diversity of characters drawing their attention as it unfolds, although a bit of judicious pruning might help. This drama would also convert well to a film or tv format. Think of ‘The Goob’ and you are in the right landscape.

Norwich Arts Centre deserve credit for commissioning this new drama from a company that is growing in stature and reputation. FenCity Players should be proud of what they have achieved here and will continue to grow no doubt. Two of the cast seemed familiar to me, and indeed the last FenCity Players work I saw in January 2020 was equally impressive. That show was called Muck. Their blunt titles are just right for their frank delivery of difficult stories. Catch them if you can, even if their next show is called ‘Crap’, it won’t be! Here is a link to our review of ‘Muck’: https://norwicheye.co.uk/whats-on/norwich-eye-reviews-muck-at-norwich-arts-centre/

© Julian Swainson, Norwich Eye, 20 March 2023