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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
Entertainment
Mark Fisher

Protest review – schoolgirls unite with the power of dissent

From left: Tamara Fairbairn, Kirsty MacLaren and Esmé Kingdom in Protest at Northern Stage.
Vexed about a world that is not quite right … From left: Tamara Fairbairn, Kirsty MacLaren and Esmé Kingdom in Protest at Northern Stage. Photograph: Oluwatosin Daniju

Hannah Lavery constructs her play from simple sentences. Her language is clear and direct. Each line builds on the last, with primary-school economy. At first, the picture she paints is unremarkable. It is all relay races, bird watching and maths classes. We hear about grandmas, fathers and big brothers. It is as familiar as the monkey bars on Amy Jane Cook’s pastel-coloured set with its pleasing geometric shapes.

Kirsty MacLaren in Protest.
Excellently played … Kirsty MacLaren as Alice in Protest. Photograph: Oluwatosin Daniju
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