The Age Of Consent
Bareboards Productions
The Bakehouse Theatre
Until Sun 16 March

'The Age Of Consent' is composed of a series of alternating, chronological monologues from Timmy (Dallas Palmer) and Stephanie (Caroline Kemp), both British. Timmy is nearing the end of a stint in prison for the killing of a toddler - when he himself was only a child - and contemplating his imminent re-immersion in a 'normal' and, in his view, uniform, society. Stephanie is a single mother not just with dreams beyond her stagnant working class environment, but with the tools (a talented young daughter) and the absence of obstacles (like morals) to achieve them.

The drama or 'pull' takes the customary, almost ritualised theatrical form - initial mystery followed by incrementally released information. But there's more to it - as with a lot of narratives with parallel stories, there's also a lot of interest to be had in trying to discover connections between threads. The dynamic, pulling element is still the mystery, but here it pulls the viewer right where those involved want them - to the link which is the moral issue of consent, as framed by concerns over the sanctity of childhood. While consent seems reasonable as a principle in most social relations, how can it operate with what society deems as not fully rational or 'adult' humans - children?

The value of the piece is in coaxing viewers into discovering the discrepancy for themselves, it doesn't just show it and (wisely) doesn't it attempt to analyse it in any rigorous way. Performances, sound, lighting, design, and direction are all spot-on - everyone involved knows the value is in the ideas and not the spectacle, and hence things are set up to perfectly facilitate thought. So it's a laudable piece, worth seeing not just for theatre-goers but anyone with any interest in society.

William McGinley