Allotments occupy a cosy, homely place in the imagination. We think of them as, at worst, the site of disputes over greenfly and unkempt beans. But Allotment, a short site-specific play now being performed at Osney Mead Allotments, uses a small patch of ground to explore a range of complex emotions and issues.
Allotment was first performed at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival in 2011, where it scooped a prestigious Scotsman Fringe First award. Since then, the 50-minute drama has toured the strawberry beds and potting sheds of Britain, each performance taking place in the midst of a working community allotment. Osney Mead allotments, set off Botley Road, make for a peaceful backdrop. Audience members are handed a cup of tea and a homemade scone (how all theatre should begin!) before being led round to chairs and stools in one corner of the site.
The play tells the story of two very different sisters. Sensitive Maddy prefers flowers; stern Dora insists that they grow vegetables. Vegetables can be eaten – and don’t talk back. We begin with their childhood exploits on the allotment –pruning teddies and burying Barbie dolls. Soon, however, we move to more serious concerns as age advances. The pace and mood shifts quickly, and several times.
The real strength of Allotment lies in its unusual setting. Like the last production in the ‘Playhouse Plays Out’ series (performed in a backpackers’ hostel), the creative use of space transforms a short show into something memorable. Both actors give energetic performances, making the most of limited props. The script is not weighed down by gardening puns – this is fresh, new writing. The passage of time is registered subtly. Indeed, audience members will need to pay close attention as this is a play that hints rather than spells out developments. Allotment does not hit the audience with immediate force. Yet it lingers in the imagination and the themes grow and mature on the walk home. The exploration of the dynamic between two sisters, bears hints of Tennessee Williams’ A Streetcar Named Desire. In sum, Allotment will appeal not only to keen gardeners, but to all those who enjoy imaginative site-specific theatre.