[AD – PR invite*]
★★★★
Jacob Sparrow’s play Sanctuary is inspired by real events in a Suffolk village in the early 1990s, where there was local resistance to an AIDS hospice being built. It is currently at The Pleasance as part of the Edinburgh Fringe, with direction by Josh Seymour and starring Matthew Tennyson and Richard Cant. My knowledge of this devastating period of time is limited to documentaries, film and media, but when I heard about this new award-winning play, I knew I needed to see this live at Fringe. Surprisingly amusing, raw and cleverly written, Sanctuary reminds audiences of the significance of revisiting memories and the importance of humanity in times of crisis.
About the play
This is a play about a man called Michael (Matthew Tennyson) who is living with HIV at a time of public fear. Having watched lots of friends tragically die from AIDS, he is clearly distraught and is very much living out his days in this house in rural Suffolk, with support of the kind, non-judgemental maternal figure Wendy (who never makes an appearance on stage). This house is a safe space away from the finger-pointing village, where Michael can’t even go to the pub without attention being drawn to his HIV status. There are plans for an AIDS hospice to be built on Wendy’s property, but misinformation and rumours leads the residents to be concerned about transmission. Michael receives a visitor (Richard Cant) to the house, who really speaks to him at a time where others want to keep their distance. They explore his diagnosis and the events that led up to this, as well as his current limbo.
Community-centric narrative
Two characters are at the centre of this story, but there are various other figures in the community who contribute to the narrative. The connections between the characters is where the creativity of the writing really shines through, but it is also where it can be easy to lose track of the different people in the village. Faced with Michael and the Stranger sharing their own stories alongside that of other people, I did find this dialogue-heavy narrative somewhat difficult to follow in places, but all is revealed and resolved with clarity at the end.
Powerful and profound
This is a deeply thought-provoking piece of theatre and it is easy to see why this drama won the inaugural Leodis Prize. Matthew Tennyson and Richard Cant share this remarkable story with so much sensitivity, highlighting how age and life experience impacts the emotional weight of memories. You can catch Sanctuary at Ace Dome at Pleasance Dome (venue 23) until 31st August (not 17th). Performances start daily at 16:00, with tickets available via the festival’s website.
*My ticket for Sanctuary was gifted in exchange for an unbiased review.
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