Photo by James Lyndsay
Backstage in Biscuit Land is one of the best PuSh shows I’ve seen in the last several years. Jess Thom is an English woman who has Tourette syndrome. Thom and her co-creator, Jess Mabel Jones, present a show full of joy, genuine (rather than contrived) humour and an actual chance to make the world a better place by making all people welcome in public spaces. In some ways this is an educational piece, but thankfully, I can’t imagine that the audience felt they were being preached to. I didn’t. The lack of pretense is what I appreciated so much.
In case you haven’t guessed, the word ‘biscuit’ is Thom’s main verbal tic (she says it every few seconds), and she punches her chest almost continually.
The narrative moves from isolation and shame to acceptance and empowerment. Again, this kind of story can be overwrought, but in the hands of Thom and Jones it is natural and moving. Thom gives some basic facts about the syndrome (few of which I knew) and talks about how it manifests in her specifically. There are segments of a game show and other parts that are more like a children’s TV program—colourful, chaotic, strange. And there are a few monologues in which she discusses how she was marginalized—asked to remove herself from theatres, etcetera—and how she found her way onto the stage.
There were free cookies (in case you don’t know, biscuit is the British word for cookie), there was a audience-wide biscuit wave (think sporting event) and there were many unexpected verbal tics. You can tell that Jones is used to rolling with the punches but she still laughs and jokes when Thom vocalizes something new and strange, such as an obscene act done by a dinosaur.
The idea of relaxed performances, which encourage attendance by audience members who might be considered ‘disruptive,’ is something I learned about only recently. Backstage in Biscuit Land takes this to another next level, where the performance itself is disruptive, reminding us not to be so uptight about the rules of theatre. It is certainly not a free for all—it just includes some joie de vivre.
This show is part of the caravan: new english performance showcase, a curated programme of work which brings a bunch of contemporary artists over from the UK. I really like this kind of programming, which gives opportunities to some artists who can't or don't normally tour and which allows a more significant look in at the arts scene in other countries. I hope lots of similar spotlights will come in future.
Two more shows on January 31 and February 1 at the Roundhouse in Vancouver.