One of the many big questions in theatre and the arts at present is the ongoing discussion and execution of inclusion for audiences. It is high time more creatives take this on board and realise it is for the people who are coming to essentially support their work. Whilst the conversation continues, there are some artists who are making strides in this inclusion.
In The Dirty Work from Jo Bannon (with text also by Gemma Paintin) lies a damn good attempt at this inclusion, a sharing of the space for everyone. Bannon is the creator and performer in this show, a post-mortem on magic and how it deceives us. Through the aid of audio description, the speaker details all actions and scene changes in the show. There are glimpses of contradictions, as Jo at times will lead the audience, only for the AD to contradict things like a bickering couple. Jo often labels the manner in which a magician may attempt to create a trick (the dirty work in question), we don’t always see the reveal, but the breakdown is often compelling.
The Dirty Work has done a bang-up job in having the AD baked into the show, as well as catering to VIPs (Visually Impaired People) with a touch tour, access capabilities and other assistance requirements. If only all theatre was this inclusive. Jo’s holding of the space is firm and charming; she often gracefully delivers lines with a dry wit, and even her dancing was marvellous. Cameos from an apart stage manager were also oddly quirky. The magician may hold on to his secrets, but stories of the clichéd white rabbits haunt Jo, these props and more clamp the magic user into a confined space, almost curse-like.
A wonderful 70 minutes of magic and its mirrors.
The Dirty Works runs at the NEXT Festival in Kortrijk, Belgium, from 1st to 2nd December 2026.
Review: James Ellis