Theatre

Outside The Cradle

Synopsis

The story follows the paths of two disillusioned youths growing up in England spanning a period from the 1970's to the 1980's, with flashbacks to the 1960's. Peter, a young man just out of borstal meets a girl, Emily who has come from an abusive family background; He has been setting fires for kicks to vent his anger at the brutal life he has experienced and she has discovered the world of creative dance as a way out. They live parallel lives. Between the two they try to find a way through the tangle of raw emotions. However, the damage they've both experienced goes deep and they almost fail in their attempt to find love and acceptance. They are saved only by the mysterious workings of fate, in the form of a helper whose invisible presence they are unaware of, and despite the odds being stacked against the couple they somehow attain the goal they've been hoping for, and rise above the temptation to perpetuate their own destruction. This is a brutal and realistic play yet poetic and insightful.

Photograph by Angus Forbes, 2009

Reviews

Punks Will Rock You
Camden New Journal - 7 Dec 2006
Outside The Cradle - Etcetera by Andrew Coxe
"There are scenes of a violent nature in this play, not one for the children. But it also contains some very sublime moments, such as when Emily dances into Peter's dreams. It puts Punk into an historical and human context, showing us as the back-drop poor working class families living in the 1970s, with little money, no jobs or hope of improvement. The use of lighting and the set design, though minimalist, is stunning. The back-drops recreate the Punk era exactly."

 

Spotlight - Nov 2007
'As for other personal highlights for them, Barrie (of the Etcetera Theatre, Camden) cites Outside The Cradle, a play by Linda Landers, that unflinchingly explores the theme of abuse. "We're a bit obsessed by it," she says.'