A profoundly affectionate, passionate devotion to someone (-noun) (2023)

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Poster by Daz Aldridge

by debbie tucker green

Directed by Chioma Anyanwu

Performances: Tuesday 14 – Saturday 18 November 2023, Old Fire Station


Introduction

“It’s not always all about you.” Three couples. What might be. What once was. What could have been.

Written by Olivier Award-winning and BAFTA-nominated writer debbie tucker green, this play explores the deep and confusing terrain of what it means to love someone.

Cast

Crew

With many thanks to Saskia van 't Hoff, Caroline Beckett, Jo Boniface, Charlotte Benstead, Eddie Coleman, Christine Theophilus, Tom Mathias, Jason salmon, Teresa Donoghue, Guy Jones, Hywel Roberts, John Winters, Mark Ireson, Simon Gleisner, Emma Lieu and all the many SLT volunteers.

Reviews

Saw this on opening night. My Gob was well and truly Smacked. Five stand-out, excellent performances. Not a weak link anywhere. It's fast-paced, funny, sad and moving. I was totally engaged from start to finish. So engaged in fact that, at one point, I wanted to yell at one of the cast to stop talking, as they dug themselves further and further into a hole. (You know who you are.) You really should see this show.

Chris Vian-Smith


The first night of Profound… tonight was absolutely stunning. Set, cast and direction were out of this world. Such professionalism and superb acting for what is not an easy dialogue. My congrats to all involved

Kay George


I saw the show last night. Thank you all who helped to bring this fascinating, challenging play to life. Great performances!

Janine Wunsche


Really enjoyed performance of a profoundly affectionate passionate devotion to someone tonight. Well done and DBS for show week! Congratulations All

Jess Osorio


First performance of “profoundly” last night was excellent. If you haven’t got a ticket yet what are you doing? 5 astounding performances. A credit to Chioma Anyanwu and her assistant Saffy Andrews. What. A. Show. #BEAD

Jo Boniface


Massive praise for ‘profoundly’ on their 1st night. Miss it and miss out.

Christine Theophilus


What a stunning production last night! Congratulations to Chioma Anyanwu and Saffy Andrews for putting together such an amazing show. The beautiful set design was simple yet incredibly effective, allowing the talent of the actors to truly shine. You had the entire audience captivated from beginning to end. Wishing you all a wonderful week ahead. #BEAD

Roisín Deady


Adding my congratulations to the 'profound...' company! So glad I got to see this superbly nuanced, spot on production!

Hayley Thomas


Everybody wants to be in love - but this is what comes with it…

There’s a lot to digest in Anyanwu’s rendition of debbie tucker green’s “a profoundly affectionate, passionate devotion to someone (-noun)”. Beyond the elaborate title, we’re invited to witness a gritty, and brutally honest exploration into the less Instagram-able side of romantic relationships.

Seen through the lives of three couples, tucker green’s play unveils the reality behind three seemingly happy relationships. The audience are taken on a journey from heated exchanges over the challenges of cohabitation, to the life altering moments that can’t be separated from a partner. Green’s script lays every nuance bare, exposing all shapes and manner of dialogue that takes place in relationships.

With the space that words occupy, it makes sense for Dusty Morrison and Pippa Tuck’s set to be stripped back to a neutral, near colourless backdrop, a bed, desk and sofa. Costumes are just as plain and minimal, with the cast bearing no character names. All of this nodding to the mandatory focus on the dialogue. We could be anywhere, at any time and these characters could be anyone - maybe even everyone - intentionally timeless.

The play is given life through the 1st couple, ‘A’ & ‘B’ played by Kaneesha Watt and Jibreel Salaam. Through this young couple, we get a glimpse into the passion that creates new life, causes arguments over the TV and is distorted when traversing through a partner’s personal tragedy.

The two move between the mundane and poignant stages of life seamlessly, an impressive undertaking as they cross years worth of conversation which at some point or the other, are recognisable to any long standing relationship. And, while the interruptions, half sentences and elliptical dialogue initially feel unfamiliar, performances from Watt and Salaam quickly ease us into this new way of conversing and we swiftly come to grips with what Green is getting at with this play.

Judging by audience reactions with each unfinished sentence, one is quickly drawn to complete sentences internally and personally just like one would in an active argument.

The job of couple 2, ‘Man’ and ‘Woman’ played by El Anthony and Zahra Jennings Grant, is not as challenging or heart-wrenching but still highly involved as they attempt to address the handling of her illness amongst other issues. Ruthless sparring and missed opportunities to express mutual affection comes after what seems like a long-suffering relationship and though it fails and we see ‘Man’ move on to be with ‘Young Woman’ (Arianne Carless). With Couple 3 we are privy to the intricacies of an age gap relationship, however we are swiftly reminded that the stubbornness, tenderness and need to be desired are ageless and familiar.

a profoundly affectionate, passionate devotion to someone (-noun) thoughtfully gives voice to every side of an argument you’ve already had, everything you wanted to say but didn’t and every thought you had after it was too late to say it. A thankful reminder that in an era of superficiality, a loving relationship does not have to be perfect. Consequently, if you’re in a relationship, this is one to watch and if you’re single - take a sneak peek into the side your “couple goals” aren’t showing you.

★★★★

The Rendition

Gallery

See more show photos here

Reminiscences and Anecdotes

The beauty in creating theatre is in the process, celebrating both the general and nuanced aspects of creating work and honouring the writer's work. I have learnt so much about myself, the craft and how I intend to operate in any artistic space. My aim is to always remain collaborative and intentional about everything I do. This journey was never done alone and I appreciate all the support that was given to ensure the audience got to experience this story in its entirety.

Chioma Anyanwu

See Also

Have there been other SLT productions of this play? Link to them here.

Or add anything that is related within this site. The author's page for instance or other plays with a similar theme.

References

External Links

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