Motherland

Steve Gilroy’s Motherland is suited to the dark and cavernous Underbelly: faced with a low-lit stage, damp air and a carpet of ammunition boxes, there is little doubt that one is in for a military drama. Performed by four actresses in their early twenties, Motherland presents verbatim accounts from the wives and girlfriends of soldiers serving in Iraq and Afghanistan. The four actresses play sixteen characters between them, using projections of character names to differentiate between each testimonial.

The juxtaposition of the rugged ammo boxes and the delicacy of the women that perch on them creates a powerful visual dynamic. However, the gravitas of the script and set is simply not upheld by the performances. The four actresses vary in strength, but all of them struggle when playing outside of their age range – twenty-odds offering testimonials from mothers of twenty-odds is a serious challenge and one that Motherland doesn’t quite pull off.

There are moments in Gilroy’s narrative that are touching and astute: he draws a careful correlation between racial mistrust and personal tragedy, and navigates the class line effectively. But while the concepts are strong, much narrative clarity is lost in the splicing together of the different monologues.

However, Gilroy’s cause is not lost. As intended, he draws attention to the collateral damage that war causes beyond the battlefield, beyond the forces and even beyond the next of kin. Mission accomplished.

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