Performance review: The Trials

With a growing number of plays unpacking the very real risks of climate change inaction, sometimes it can feel as though the topic has been exhausted. The Trials has put global warming firmly back on the radar by addressing it from a new perspective: the next generation.

Set in the not-so-distant dystopian future, the children who are forced with the implications of our lack of significant action are now asked to put the adults over a certain carbon footprint on trial. If they deem the ‘dinosaur’ adults as having reckless and destructive lifestyles, they will then be executed to save resources – a decision the youths are only given 15 minutes per case to debate.

The air in the theatre was dense with smoke as the actors puffed on inhalers and debated if the air purifiers were working, all the while unable to open the windows due to a toxic amount of pollution. Far enough into the future to feel dystopian – but not far enough to feel unrelatable – Dawn King's new playtext is an excellent choice for telling both a micro and macro story on stage, humanising a vastly broad topic. Refreshingly, the script also shows a progressive shift in attitudes regarding gender orientation, with individuals outlining their pronouns upon meeting.

The cast was made up largely of teenagers making their professional debuts, including two young actors from Heartstopper – a new popular Netflix show – which no doubt drummed up some audience engagement from those under the age of 18. While the young performers performed well, the highlight was in the testimonies and pleas from the adults. Many of the issues they were found ‘guilty’ over things that the public continue to do daily, such as eat meat, have children or take plane journeys. The second adult on trial specifically – a playwright and artist – felt deeply authentic, playing presumably a mirror of King herself.

A promising touch from the production was the addition of real testimonies from the young actors projected on the wall after the show had finished, stating their fears and pleas regarding the environment. This brought the audience – and the topic in hand – back into the present day. The Trial's run at the Donmar has now ended, but the production has the scope to grow. Providing the opportunity for young people to act their age in an unsettling and impactful production, it is worth watching this space to see what happens next or grabbing a copy of King's text for your classroom.