Plaines Plough brought their renowned touring theatre company to Latitude on Friday with plays from playwright Mark Ravenhill’s Shoot/Get Treasure/Repeat cycle. Each play takes its title from a classic work and each is a separate entity yet all are linked by characters and a general theme: the effect of war on modern life.

“Love (But I Won’t Do That)” is a fraught and emotional tale of a woman living in an occupied country. Her husband has died at the hands of a soldier and as a result, the soldier asks to be given her house to protect. He embeds himself in her home and her life and the woman struggles to maintain some sense of morality and dignity in the face of such an aggressive and needy houseguest. The growing audience were jostling for seats and taking to the floor in order to get a better view of the strong performances.
The next play, “Twilight Of The Gods” begins as a straightforward interview between two women – Susan, whose country has been occupied is being interviewed by Jane, an official from the occupying country. Susan is desperate for Jane to understand the severity of her situation. There is no food in her zone and malnutrition is rife. Susan is a proud woman.  She used to be a university lecturer but now finds herself nothing more than a starving beggar and this humiliates her.

 “You are a society in transition” Jane tells her. “Everything is going to get so much better”. Susan doesn’t seem to think so.  Jane seems full of guilt for the conditions Susan lives in. As if she alone is personally responsible.
Then Susan makes a rash and impulsive choice and the interview takes an altogether unexpected turn. The level of emotional intensity increases and reveals a moving and harrowing tale.

Lesley Pinder