Theatre (New Writing, Physical Theatre)
Words: Jacqueline Ross
Image: Tommy Ga-Ken Wan

4 Stars

Water Colour paints in glorious technicolour the reality and breadth of the mental health struggles that young people face today. At two opposite ends of the opportunity scale, a female student artist and a would be talented chef, kept in his place for his dishwashing skills, are having to fight demons within.

For one of our characters, the struggle is deep rooted in her past. For the other, a trauma invades his headspace and the two stories become linked by chance. It is a real example of how life can affect in the blink of an eye. 

This tale is told well with a clever use of word linkage when changing character. There are interjections of humour, a good use of atmospheric audio and maybe one too many mini crescendos throughout. The physical theatre movements genuinely add another layer, expressing torturous obsession, anxiety, the act of giving up and the mundane of keeping going with even a goosebumps moment that hits hard. 

Water Colour isn’t afraid to show how quickly life can switch up on you and how rapidly emotions can spiral. It touches on the reality of poor support systems when young people  need them most and in turn how it would be easy to begin to feel very alone. Despite the loving mums featured in the background this story portrays a young person’s existence where all they really hope for is hope.  

Water Colour
Traverse 2 at Traverse Theatre
Various Times
8-30 Aug