Review: AND HERE I FIND MYSELF, The Lowry
Subsequent to his online production of From Me To Us in 2020, Wayne Steven Jackson has created new solo show And Here I Find Myself to continue the exploration of Jackson’s personal journey with single parent surrogacy.
Throughout the show, Jackson details to the audience the ever-changing laws on the rights of a gay man in the UK, stating his age and the year of when each law alteration occurred. Every rule change seems like progress is being made on Jackson’s journey to becoming a parent and living the life he desires; however, life still doesn’t always work out as planned which leaves Jackson questioning whose rules he’s really been following and what comes next in his life as he approaches the age of 40.
And Here I Find Myself not only discusses similar themes to Jackson’s previous production, but the creative techniques used parallels those used in From Me To Us, tying the two pieces nicely together and solidifying Jackson’s own distinct style of performance. Once again collaborating with Studio 91 Media for videography, the show uses a fusion of live and digital media to add another dimension to the piece. The conception of a second character in the one-man show is ingeniously created through simple projections of words, mostly instructions, which injects humour into the show from the offset, giving the feeling that the audience are watching a comedy duo. As each stage of instructions go by, the humour levels decrease as it becomes clearer that the personality of the projection is more a representation of the increasingly hard demands and rules of society that Jackson struggles to follow in pursuit of what he wants as it reflects the heteronormative expectations of the world we live in.
Another technique of Jackson’s style of performance featured in And Here I Find Myself is the use of palilogy, in which actions and words are frequently repeated throughout the show to emphasise the constant circle of Jackson feeling a sense of failure and contemplating how he keeps ending up in the same place in his life year after year. With assistance from music by Katherine Myles, the repetitive circular nature of the production builds and builds until the piece reaches a chaotic climax that epitomises how Jackson’s emotions have built up over the years to leave him feeling lost in life.
Boldly exposing his emotional journey to the world, Wayne Steven Jackson gives a vulnerable yet compelling performance in his wonderfully written And Here I Find Myself to give a beautiful insight into his personal experience.
**** Four stars
Reviewed by: Jess Dalloway