Ear for Eye by debbie tucker green

Ear for eye is divided into three parts and an epilogue. Part one has fifteen characters and is made up of a sequence of duologues and monologues featuring Black British people and African Americans navigating different versions of oppression. Part two has two characters; a white academic in his fifties and an African American student in her twenties who argue about the reasons for a mass shooting. Part three, which is filmed, has fifty five speaking parts and details US segregation and British Jamaican slavery rules, all spoken by white actors. In the epilogue some characters from earlier return to incite a reaction.

Parts one and two are made up of duologues and some monologues. From a teaching perspective, these monologues and duologues offer a lot of potential for exploration at GCSE and A level, with the prospect of students taking on multiple roles that switch between the UK and the US, exploring a challenging theme that is as pertinent now as it ever was. The characters range in ages and offer a complexity so students can really challenge themselves and each other in performance.

Stylistically the text initially feels conversational but as you read further it is so much more than that. It is extremely well crafted and precise, especially when it feels most chaotic. Students will really engage with the play's written style and its vernacular will allow students to explore their performance with quite some freedom.

Ironically, on my first reading of this text it was a struggle to enjoy it. I felt that I wanted something more substantial; not so much from the language but from the characters; some deeper level of conversation to get stuck into. However, scripts are written for performance and on my subsequent reading of the play the freedom of interpretation that it would offer performers unfolded and I could see how having the chance to take an almost melodic script and craft your character into it would be exciting and challenging.

This is a play that provides excellent performance opportunities as well as offering a way into a very complex debate that students will most certainly want to have.