A modern day Waiting for Godot.

In the upstairs room of a pub, a short walk from Clapham High Street, a collective of creatives set up to showcase a work in progress of their latest project: Patient is a Verb.

The Burning Attic team, and the research they’ve collected, forms a production that shines a light firmly on a key issue for trans and non-binary people, telling the modern day ‘Waiting for Godot’ story about the struggles to access the health services needed.

I’d like to thank the team at Burning Attic (in particular Florian) for inviting me to review this piece and give thoughts on where the showcase has got to so far, before it comes to The Blue Elephant Theatre in Camberwell next month (tickets available here). As such I want to be clear that they provided me with two complimentary tickets for this show.

Patient is a Verb, as mentioned, focuses on access to healthcare, specifically Gender Identity Clinics, for trans and non-binary people. This narrative is told through the device of a multiplayer video game, and we explore the different barriers each of the three characters face. And whilst this is a work in progress, it shows real promise for the upcoming run.

However, there is a need to further explore and develop the show, first and foremost by establishing what audience it is aimed for. That is perhaps the most difficult thing to do with a piece such as this where no one character takes the spotlight, and the interviews of trans and non-binary people inform the narrative. The major question that I had throughout this showcase was: is this performance for a trans and non-binary audience to share lived experience and provide a moment for their stories to be told on stage, or is it for a cis, straight audience as an education piece that explains the heavy toll waiting for healthcare puts on many in this community?

In figuring this question of who this is played to, will allow the team to focus on telling one narrative where at present there are multiple. After the showcase, the team put together a panel where I asked this question and I received an interesting reply (paraphrased): “As trans and non-binary people, it isn’t our job to educate. The audience has to have awareness of the issues, and if they don’t they need to use Google to educate themselves.“

But as a production, put on to tell this story, whether the creatives behind this piece wish to admit, ‘Patient is a Verb’ will educate people, and as such the cast and crew have taken on a role as educators.

The piece, as with much of Burning Attic’s work, is a collaboration, it’s a collective piece where the stories are devised from investigations into others’ lived experience. In its current format, we meet three characters, and in honesty, I yearned to perhaps have one lead character, with the other two supporting. Instead, it felt a little too democratic in its division of stage time for each character making it hard to invest in the journey of each. But, as with any work-in-progress, it’s also important to note that we are watching a show still in development.

There are some wonderful moments throughout mixed with a playful, youthful naivety. We hear a powerful monologue from one character exploring their non-binary identity mixed with a scene from a video game, and a great ending that emphasises the ‘waiting’ theme throughout. I adore the video game devise which allows the subject matter to be more accessible, especially to a straight, cis audience – though some terms that are known to us as queer activists might need to be translated into more accessible language (i.e. GIC). We get to battle the system, wait for loading screens and dive into discussion boards to understand how to progress, and we get to understand the current effects of a Government’s decision to not invest in this vital healthcare.

Ultimately, the ideas that form this play are overtly political and deserve to be shouted loudly about, especially in the current culture war climate of the Conservatives’ making. Because of this, I’d like to see it double down on this, aiming squarely at a straight, cis audience rather than preaching to the LGBT+ choir. It’s a critical issue, often of life or death for many, through the struggle to access the support needed.

Depending on which way the creative team takes this production, I think audiences are in for an interesting play. At the moment, it is very much a half-way house unknowing whether it’s one thing or another, so I’m hopeful the team can, over the next few weeks, address this and bring a well rounded play to audiences next month.

But you should see this production, whether you identify as trans or non-binary, you are an ally, or you want to educate yourself about this important issue facing so many in the UK. The show runs at The Blue Elephant Theatre in Camberwell from Thursday, 15 until Saturday, 17 September. Tickets are available here.