This Wide Night by Chloe Moss | A Moveable Theatre

The moment Marie, played by Sharde Anne, walks onto the stage you can instantly feel her dedication to the character. Not long after she arrives, we get a knock on the door and are introduced to Lorraine played by Julia Johnson. The chemistry between both performers and their connection to the characters they are portraying are immediately felt from the start and this is the driving force of this tragically beautiful drama.

This Wide Night focuses on life after being released from prison. Originally written in a UK women’s prison by Chloe Moss over a decade ago, A Moveable Theatre presents show’s first run in Queensland at BackDock Arts.

Image + cover image: Naz Mulla Photography

With a minimal set design and being performed in an intimate venue, the setting really added to the performance. The story takes place in the small apartment Marie is staying in, a dour looking unit that is barely better than a cell. When Lorraine shows up at the front door there is a sense of claustrophobia that begins creeping in, while there is a love between Marie and Lorraine, and there are many times where they reminisce and enjoy each other’s company, the cramped space the two now share creates an uneasy tension that builds to an explosive ending. Having it performed in small setting really gets the smothering aspect across well.

With the play only having two characters, and little in set design, This Wide Night relies heavily on the dialogue and body language of the performers. Luckily, the play is in good hands, as Sharde Anne and Julia Johnson are tremendous with their performances and their wide acting range, going from humour to sadness to anger and everything in between. The dialogue sounded natural and the portrayal of Marie and Lorraine are very raw and brutally honest.

The script complements the performances, as the themes of struggling with addiction, violence, abandonment and fitting back into society are explored organically and never feel forced. With it being workshopped with women at the Helena Jones Correctional Centre in Brisbane, it gave it a fresh and unique perspective. While the length of the play it might not be for everyone, I never felt bored throughout as both were able to keep me invested by having me laughing at times and feeling emotional in the heavier scenes.

Image: Naz Mulla Photography

What really sets the play apart though is that This Wide Night is a show with an important message, with both characters inspired by real women that touched me on a personal level. Throughout my life, I have been around domestic violence, witnessed the damage of substance abuse and had family close to me come in prison and out of prison. Because of that I had high expectations for This Wide Night and they were met, with multiple moments on the stage feeling familiar to relationships in my life.

Marie and Lorraine feel real to me — flawed, damaged, rough around the edges, but beautiful in their own ways and filled with a lot of love and care. Whether it’s the relationship between the two of them or the way Lorraine speaks about her son, they aren’t bad people. They are genuine and kind-hearted, but have unfortunately gone down a bad path in life and are now faced with the battle of readjusting in a harsh society.

Lorraine particularly stuck out for me. She has a big personality and not much of a filter when she speaks, but there’s a real charm to her and at times a childlike innocence. Marie on numerous occasions mentions how Lorraine has the ability to crack her up and she has that same affect on the audience, but there’s so much more to Lorraine than our initial perceptions, especially with her fractured relationship with her son, just one of many themes explored in the play.

This Wide Night is a powerful play that good storytelling and acting, with a strong message about the difficulties that women face when it comes to readjusting into the world after spending time in prison. I would highly recommend it to anyone that is interested in moving stories based on real world issues and to those looking to learn more about the many issues that can emerge from life in prison and the struggles of fitting into the world again.