The play was created from an initial feeling and image about a specific issue affecting the local community. It was subsequently developed into a narrative and aesthetically refined for a stage performance. The play remained largely unscripted to retain an element of spontaneity. The actors improvised within a pre-defined structure
The play was devised by the group through discussions and experiential theatre work. The group identified strongly with the issue and some of the members made links with their own personal experience. The play was not devised as a faithful rendering of a lived experience but rather offered a platform for reflection and action on issues affecting the community.
'Anna' is about the impact of austerity measures on the lives of the most vulnerable people and the increased sense of precarity and insecurity in our society.
'Anna' tells the story of an ordinary woman whose emotional health deteriorates following the breakdown of a relationship and who finds herself at risk of loosing financial support resulting from government policies to cut welfare benefits. The play exposes her own sense of vulnerability and offers a reflection on the way we live with one another as a society.
The play was an invitation for the audience to reflect on a situation that affects thousands of people in the local community and in Britain. The play exploited what seems the vocation of community theatre. To be by the community, about the community and for the community.
