Theatricality of politics

Last week I was lucky enough to attend the opening night of a newly-commissioned play by the English-Australian writer Joe Penhall at the Old Vic in London. Called ‘The Constituent’ it tells the story of an ex-serviceman (played by Gavin & Stacey’s James Corden) who seeks help and support to improve his life and better support his family from his local MP (played by Motherland’s Anna Maxwell Martin). I have written many times about the power of theatre to surface important issues in our world and how fictional storytelling, when done well, can serve as a poignant reminder of the human impact of such big issues. This story, told for the first time in the run up to a General Election, did absolutely that. Corden’s character is a complex one and as his back-story is revealed we see a man who was conditioned by the military and truly thrived on the deep purpose, clear direction and regimental structure it gave him. But it was taken away when he was discharged on medical grounds. His adjustment to civilian life - ‘starting again from scratch’ as he describes it - was a successful one. However, it quickly becomes clear that this is only surface deep and that his emotional resilience never recovered from this loss of career, live framework and identity.

We see him spiral even further as he starts to process the horrific things he saw as a deployed soldier and it is a powerful reminder of the deep emotional wounds of war and soldiering that should never be overlooked. A result of this trauma is the break-up of his marriage and family and this is what prompts him to ask for help from his MP. In the face of parental legislation and policies arbitrarily giving more rights to his wife, he decides to fight his cause, which was a timely call for this issue and the work of organisations like Fathers for Justice not to be forgotten. In the character of the MP we see someone who is driven by a passionate and unflinching desire to bring about positive change for people but a commitment to public service that is being constantly battered and is waning.

She is proud to be a backbencher who was born and grew up in her constituency as she came to serve and represent first and foremost, but faces risk of de-selection in favour of a ‘parachute candidate’ if she doesn’t sacrifice her values and re-prioritise her party over her people. It was the sight of watching her go about her work with cuts and bruises following an attack on her constituency office that truly shook me. As the play came to an end I could hear people, like I was, remembering Jo Cox and Sir David Amess and how the safety of our public servants needs properly addressing. ?

The play last week was a timely reminder of the power of stories and theatre but also the theatrical nature of politics. As the melancholic Jacques says in Shakespeare’s As You Like It, ‘All the world’s a stage, and all the men and women merely players.’

We are about to welcome some of our existing Norfolk MPs back onto our local political stage and see the debut performances of some new political players. So what could our new MPs learn from theatre?

Certainly, like all actors, it’s about doing their research by listening to people’s stories. Make sure that we are always valuing people’s mental wellbeing alongside their financial prosperity.

Learning the lines is critical, of course, and many of these will be given to them centrally by government or parties. The very best actors will put the script down at the first opportunity, not deviating from it, but bringing it to life. We need political players who make their script of policies and statistics relevant and speak them in a local voice and humanity.

And then there is respect - both given and received. The play includes a line: “I am not your punching bag. I am a member of parliament” which got the biggest laughs. Whatever they do or don’t do, or whether you agree with their views or not, the relationship between MP and constituent should always be performed with kindness.

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