Scratchwork Collective’s The Summit is far from your average play. Through physical theatre, The Summit boldly attempts to portray every aspect of the contemporary Olympic athlete’s life. No struggle is left out as the drama and intensity experienced in cycling is brought to the stage in an impressively realistic way. Surrounded by pressure from coaches, the media, family, friends and finally herself, the cyclist faces a life consuming challenge.
The physical nature of The Summit takes some getting used to. Watching five actors perform some sort of half cycling, half dance act complete with lights and upbeat music even seems slightly comical at the beginning, but it quickly becomes very effective. In just 45 minutes the cast do manage to give an idea of the sheer amount of physical sacrifice that is necessary to achieve perfection at your chosen sport. The values of discipline, determination and competitiveness are explored well as the lead puts herself under intense physical strain, throwing herself around on stage and never giving up. By the time the other members of the cast surround her, their cries of encouragement overlapping, it is almost agonising to watch.
There are some lighter moments too in this short and rather heavy play. One dance, involving the cast all circling the lead with microscopes, is particularly ridiculous and the focus on family life – including sisterly squabbles – is typical and easy to relate to. Some of the acting does falter during fake addresses to the media and other short monologues which feel very forced, but these are mostly redeemed by the actress playing the mother, as her wish for her daughter to eventually lead a normal life is genuinely touching. No characters are addressed by name; whilst this anonymity works well in terms of being able to quickly relate and empathise with different characters and their actions, I would have liked to see more individuality from some as they often blended into the background.
The ending is slightly inconclusive, but the sense of ambition can be clearly felt; it really looks as though everyone on stage has pushed their bodies to the absolute extreme. Topical yet alternative, The Summit can be a challenging watch but it’s mostly a pleasure.
