"I wanted to create something that exposed the austerity, criminality and its influence on teenagers, its lure and why people go astray..."
Our Kid promises to be one of the must-see highlights of this year's Fringe festival. If you think that theatre might not be your thing, you may want to reconsider. Our Kid is a hard-hitting drama that is set in Salford.
The in-your-face action is framed by a signature Salford/Manchester soundtrack and references both cities. It's a play in the vernacular of classic 'angry young man' movement with the drama set firmly in gritty working class culture. Not afraid to pull any punches, it buzzes with the dark violence and uneasy undercurrent of our two neighbouring cities.
It's a lot to cram in for writer and performer Taran Knight. And he'll be doing it on his own. I asked Taran if this proved challenging... "The main challenges are not having anyone to bounce off and that you can only rely on yourself" he explains "Of course the need to learn so many lines and your cue lines... If anything goes wrong the responsibility lies solely with you. There is a sense of vulnerability and fear... Are you, as a sole performer interesting enough to hold an audience?"
This one-man show focuses on the lives of two brothers. Taran uses one of the siblings as narrator as he explores the austerity and crime of broken Britain. Our Kid examines the relationship of the two brothers and how they were shaped by their environment.
It's an edgy and relatable piece that Taran brings to the Kings Arms; "The inspiration came from not seeing enough working class stories, and for feeling like these issues needed exposure in the theatre" he says "I had a troubled childhood and felt that I experienced a lot of things similar to which the two brothers did. I wanted to create something that exposed the austerity, criminality and its influence on teenagers, its lure and why people go astray. But I also wanted to show that people can change and try and make better lives from themselves, even if society tries to prevent this."
Taran draws on his own background to create an immersive and honest play: "I was a victim of domestic abuse along with my mother, I fell in with the wrong crowd, grew up on a poor council estate and was lured into that world as it offered me a form of escapism and acceptance" he recalls "But of course lots of elements of the show are fictionalised too."
Our Kid is inspired by some of our finest dramatists and will appeal to fans of classic Northern TV dramas. It promises a filmic quality, delivering a fast paced story coupled with great audio and visual media.
Taran describes Our Kid as being "gritty and dark working class theatre which isn't afraid to expose a dark part of society that exists. It's a tale that's influenced by Shane Meadows, Jim Cartwright and Dennis Kelly. It's powerful, in your face and not afraid to pull any punches."
Our Kid is well worth catching, it's an all action, one-man show crammed into fifty minutes.
Our Kid by Taran Knight
Thursday 18th July 7pm, Wednesday 24th July 7:30pm, Thursday 27th 4pm and Wednesday 31st July 7pm
The Kings Arms
£9 except 27th performance £8.
For further details and to book tickets see the GM Fringe website – click here
Words by Ian Leslie
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