Preview: Freshblood presents first student production of the year ‘The Faithless Healer’

The Faithless Healer, an original piece written by Sam George is bound to make you smile. Although I only witnessed a few minutes of a work-in-progress scene, I found myself laughing a lot and was utterly impressed with the standard I was seeing, despite it only being a rehearsal.

The Faithless Healer cast in rehearsal Image: Jessica Jackson

This brand new piece of writing by George is witty, clever and full of fun.

This brand new piece of writing by George is witty, clever and full of fun. The piece focuses around Mary, played excellently by Alice Byrne, and her struggles over the healing powers she has been blessed with.

The plot-line centers around the remote village in which Mary lives and the community’s focus on religion, specifically how faith brought this miracle of Mary’s powers to them. However Mary herself struggles with the concept of faith, causing the community to backfire.

The rather large cast of ten, alongside codirectors Ella Tebay and Samuel Thorogood, have all worked together in developing the characters and their interaction with each other. When speaking to the cast, they told me the experience had been ‘very physical in the workshops’ and that it was ‘really nice being part of a performance which is so focused around the ensemble’.

Alice Byrne playing Mary, the central character who posses super powers. Image: Jess Jackson

With The Faithless Healer being the first student production of the year, the cast and crew are all extremely excited for the piece being taken to the Warwick Arts Centre in Week 4. I have to say, the ensemble were extremely strong. The entire cast were completely committed to their roles and I was lucky enough to witness them at their strongest; speaking in unison along side strong physical work.

The directors have been very clever with their staging, having the ensemble on their knees praising the character of Mary in the scene I witnessed. The acting from each character looks to be exceptional, with a number of different accents being performed at different moments.

The way in which George has written the piece creates a strong sense of narration from the ensemble which portrays a real sense of community throughout. The cast all work extremely well as a cohort and I got a real sense of a strong cast and crew relationship which is really important to see in the rehearsal process.

This show is definitely not to be missed. Not only is it the premier of a brand new piece of student written theatre, it will also bring a smile to your face and be a really enjoyable evening. However there are only four performances so don’t miss out!

Catch this show at the Warwick Arts Centre in the Studio during Week 4 from Wednesday 28 October. Don’t forget to keep an eye out on the Freshblood presents The Faithless Healer’s Facebook page for their upcoming fundraiser ‘Boozy Village Fete’ on Saturday 24.