Narc. Magazine Online
Reliably informed
Kai Palmer soaks up a profound retelling of the abuse suffered by teenagers at The Medomsley Youth Detention Centre in the 1980s
Image by Von Fox Promotions
A short, sharp shock: In the 1980s, Margaret Thatcher believed this is what young people needed to be whipped into obedient, law-abiding citizens. At least, that’s how she sold it to the public in her manifesto… What resulted was state sanctioned torture which gave sadists and paedophiles a free pass to exploit young boys, knowing they were vulnerable, working class, and had no way of standing up for themselves. The Medomsley Youth Detention Centre in County Durham was sadly one of many across the country delegated as one of these militaristic institutions. Bad Lads was created from a story by Jimmy Coffey and the testimonies of the Medomsley men to tell a piece of eye-opening, local history and highlight the resilience of those involved – even though it shouldn’t have needed to.
Bad Lads is told through the lens of Jackie, a boy in his late teens who was detained at Medomsley in the 80s for stealing a milk float. After being arrested by police, he expected a good telling-off, but what followed was months of life-altering, horrific abuse from men in positions of authority.
Rather than tell Jackie’s story one-dimensionally, three iterations of Jackie take the stage simultaneously, and remain there until the end. Robin Paley Yorke plays young Jackie and powerfully depicts his journey from a cheery, witty teenage lad to a confused, broken young man during his appalling time at the detention centre. Danny Raynor is modern-day Jackie (as well as seamlessly shifting into the character numerous guards and detention centre staff) as he painfully attempts to look back and come to terms with how the abuse affected the rest of his life. The third version of Jackie is played by performance interpreter, Craig Painting, who signs the show’s dialogue but also plays an active role in the narrative, including briefly playing the role of a guard. At no point does this get confusing, thanks to sharp, dynamic acting from the trio as they effortlessly shift between roles and present the story’s tough, yet true, scenes in a gripping and informative way.
The show is produced by Graeae (in association with Live Theatre), world-leaders in creating accessible theatre who ensure the play’s dialogue is structured so that it is audio descriptive, and that creative captions are shown behind the stage all the way through.
At the show’s end, information projects on to the wall behind the stage and informs the audience that there was an investigation by Durham Police, but to date, not a public inquiry into the shocking, twisted behaviour exerted by the staff at The Medomsley Youth Detention Centre.
The heartbreaking retelling of passers by, who watched the boys be dragged and beaten by guards, through a fence, and simply walk by, shows the lack of empathy by people who were unwilling to disrupt the comfort of their own lives to help others. Bad Lads shows that Britain has profound, institutional problems that disproportionately affect working class people. Had these been wealthier, middle class boys the outcome would likely have been very different and the outrage likely would’ve been much greater, and sooner.
The testimonies of the Medomsley men – and the stories of all men detained at these centres across the country – should be known far beyond this play’s audience.
