Jessica Harris watches a strikingly real production set against the background of Covid.
This intense production by Lumenis Theatre Company shines a light on the experiences of migrants as workers within the UK’s care system. It exposes how they are taken advantage of by a system that needs them and yet regards them as dispensable. And it highlights the racism they endure at the hands of some of those they care for.
Recent arrivals to the UK, Maurice and Hermia are expecting their first child and are hopeful for the future. They overlook their dark and cramped accommodation, cheered by the small stream of light that comes in and the beauty of the white cliffs nearby.
Maurice finds work in a care home, and his compassion is stirred by Darya, an elderly woman, who reminds him of his grandmother back home. As the years roll by, the couple’s optimism wears thin. Hermia is alone all day with a young child. As toddlers do, this one cries a lot.
As the Covid pandemic takes hold, Maurice faces pressure to move into the care home to keep residents safe, even though this puts his own family at risk. The hostile environment, nurtured by successive governments, means that he will lose his job if he doesn’t.
Maurice and Hermia begin to grow apart. Despite knowing that he will never be accepted in his workplace, Maurice feels visible. His work is important. Hermia, with early premonitions of worse to come, is overwhelmed by isolation. Things start to crack.
The play also looks at the experience of residents in care homes, and how alone many felt during the lockdown periods of Covid. This is captured brilliantly in Darya’s long and rambling phone calls. She fears that everyone has left, and senses a smell coming from the building, a sickly sweet smell of death. As no one else is there for her to talk to, the voices in her head take over.
The emotional authenticity in all three of the performers speaks volumes, and a baby made from cardboard is simple, yet touchingly effective. The production makes use of intentional overlap between one speaker and another, which is sometimes a little hard to follow, but the overall meaning comes through, and the impact is strong.
Lived experiences of migrant health, social care workers, care managers and healthcare professionals were used in the development of Lightstreams. Audience members with similar lived experience testified to the accuracy of the piece in the panel discussion and Q&A that followed the performance.
The play was performed by: Gabriela Chanova (Hermia), Zakaria Meknas (Maurice), Eugenia Caruso (Darya). It was written by Mary Mazzilli and directed by Richard Bland.
For more information visit lumenistheatre.co.uk or macbirmingham.co.uk.
