Scaffolding | Western Morning News

Is God non-verbal? Or taking part in a sponsored silence? Or is it just that the Almighty couldn’t care less about the little people?

These are some of the questions posed by Sheridan, the mother of a profoundly disabled adult daughter, in a fearless production that goes straight to the heart of how society views, and treats, carers.

We meet Sheridan, played with physical dexterity and emotional skill by Kerry Norton, at the top of a scaffolding tower surrounding a newly-renovated church steeple. 

We share Sheridan’s fear of heights and the fear she has for her daughter Joelle’s future, as she speaks to God from on high. She explains what it’s really like to be the sole carer for someone you love, while never knowing, truly, if that devotion is ever reciprocated.

Turning to God for answers, Sheridan is also perhaps asking us, the audience, and by extension the whole of society, why it is that, but for the grace of God, any one of us might be left in the same situation – powerless, economically dependent on the state. We soon realise that, in many ways, Sheridan is as voiceless as Joelle.

Scaffolding is theatre doing its job: reflecting life and inviting audiences to empathise with the experience of others. That’s not to say the show isn’t immensely entertaining. There might not immediately appear much to laugh about in Sheridan’s situation – but the writing squeezes every last drop of humour out of it.

Yes, it’s worthy, but Sheridan’s feisty, maverick personality never allows her – and therefore us – to wallow in self-pity. Why? Because she has hope and she has a plan. It may be a pretty kooky plan but it’s the reason she’s up there on top of the scaffolding in the first place, bending the ear of God. 

Scaffolding was written by Lucy Bell, who draws on her own experience of parenting a teenager with non-verbal communication. Unsurprisingly, the dialogue very much rings true. Through Sheridan’s monologue, we hear the authentic voices of the unheard – the non-verbal and their carers. 

Sheridan’s days are exhausting, difficult, unglamorous, and offer little reward – not even the look of love and validation from Joelle that her devoted mum so desperately craves. Ultimately, the production’s great strength is in shining a light on ordinary courage, everyday heroism, unconditional love. Put simply, Scaffolding is why we go to the theatre.

Created by Devon-based Documental Productions and developed in collaboration with Bristol Old Vic, Scaffolding opened at the Edinburgh Fringe last summer and has a London run in September. For more details visit documentaltheatre.co.uk

Simon Parker
Western Morning News
Image by Craig Fuller