We might not all remember our school days fondly, but One Way Out – one of the three winner’s of this year’s Untapped award in Edinburgh – coaxes out all the banter, fun and games you’d want from your teenage years. Underneath the sparky rapport shared by the four male leads, however, this play written by Montel Douglas tells a darker story.
The play was inspired by Douglas’s memories of his cousin being handed a deportation notice at 19. It shows Devonte (Shem Hamilton), who was born in Jamaica but whose life has been spent in the UK, opening a letter informing him that he must find the correct documents to prove his right to stay. All of this burns with the unfairness of the system and Devonte’s cries of “there must be another way” are haunting.
