A ringside seat at Roy Williams’ Sucker Punch inspired a teenager to switch career plans from law to theatre
M
y mother has always been my champion and has pumped culture into me for a very long time. Theatre and the arts were part of our bonding. She used to say, if you see a show that you like the look of, I’ll get tickets. So I’d go on the Royal Court website and if there were many black people in the cast, I’d want to go because I could see myself.
I would have been around 16 when I saw Sucker Punch by Roy Williams. It’s about two young men who know that their bodies can be a kind of tool to better themselves so they fall into boxing. An aspiring white promoter zeroes in on their talent. It is about rivalry, but also about how community works together, and is a really good investigation of masculinity and the ownership of black bodies.
I had been to shows at the Royal Court before but they transformed the space for Sacha Wares’ 2010 production. It was completely 360-degree, in the round. I remember the accuracy of the boxing ring, the ropes. It was visceral. The actors were dripping with sweat. And when they moved, we moved, because we thought we were going to get punched! The acting felt so charged and so full-body, as if they’d been plucked from the street. We were fully in it – as if you could ultimately step into the characters’ roles if you just walked a couple of metres. It felt very real. I came away feeling, I need to understand how this is made.
