SITE-SPECIFIC THEATRE
One of the most infamous and most successful shows from the 2010 Fringe, this award-winning and record-breaking production of Roadkill makes a welcome return. Directed by Cora Bissett, this site-specific, multi-media promenade production, written by Stef Smith, highlights the dangerous and terrifying reality of life as a sex-trafficked slave in modern Scotland.
Beginning on a bus journey from the Traverse to an ordinary apartment in the heart of Edinburgh’s New Town, Roadkill follows Adeloa (Mercy Ojelade) as she comes to Scotland to work, but soon discovers that her mentor, Martha (Emmanuella Cole) and her pimp (John Kazek) have other plans for her.
Based on the experiences of girls who were sex-trafficked to Scotland and dealing with themes of violence, betrayal, abuse and exploitation, Roadkill excels at taking the audience out of their comfort zone in order to tell just one victim’s story with care, respect and unrelenting power. Unnerving from the very beginning, Bissett’s production manages to create and maintain a sense of dread that courses through the play and follows the audience as they journey from room to room in an apartment that suddenly becomes a dark and unforgiving prison from which there is seemingly no escape.
Mesmerising, absorbing but always shocking, Smith’s script is a damning and unforgiving retelling of a tale of rape, intimidation and hope that needs to be seen and appreciated for the ongoing trade of people and children to be fully understood. Featuring a wealth of multi-media, including Kim Beveridge’s dark and imaginative animation and images, the play is not only intellectually stimulating but also visually stunning, thanks to the combination of Beveridge’s work and Paul Sorley’s lighting effects. Perfectly acted by Ojelade, Kazek and Cole, Roadkill is a fine example of modern theatre with a conscience, awareness and a clear purpose: to educate and enlighten on the extent of the sex trafficking industry, not just in Scotland, but around the world. Although this production is thought-provoking, completely engaging and heartbreaking, one can’t help but wonder if perhaps this play would be better suited to being performed in more accessible venues, such as schools, colleges and community centres in order for its message of human depravity, inhumanity and hope to reach a wider audience.
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