A daunting mirror into our own minds and lives

I didn't think I was racist but I killed a Romanian, Loft Studio, Leamington, until April 8.

I’m not a racist, but… A thought provoking statement to normalise behaviours which the latest production at the loft tackles head on to give an insight into the lives and minds of ourselves and the people around us.

Racism, stress, pressure – what drives us to act and to think the ways we do? What do we normalise because we see and hear it every day? Are we all concealing hidden thoughts we never dare to explore? Is there a line we must not cross, or is any thought as damning as stepping too far?

I didn’t think I was a racist, but I killed a Romanian is a wonderful character centred play examining the minds, thoughts and actions of us all.

Thought provoking and insightful, is dark comedy helps us acknowledge even the most challenging questions and wonder why do we accept parts of our reality and not others. The short play promises an insight into racism, xenophobia, evil and hate - and how they are manifested not only in our thoughts but in the words and actions of those around us.

And it certainly delivers as it takes us on an intimate but drama-packed tour into the lives of Roy Jessop and his troubled family.

A hard-working family man, Roy is seemingly pushed to his limits by the actions around him. But maybe it’s not all as it seems as we learn more about the husband and father’s mental state as his life begins to spiral out of control.

Raising difficult questions and uncomfortable issues from each of the family in turn, the play is an eye opener. And its intimate setting makes for an even greater sense of normality – holding up a daunting mirror into our own minds and lives.

A wonderfully refreshing short play with an excellent cast, staging and presence. Thoroughly recommended to make everyone reconsider their sense of the accepted and of normality and morality.

Posted by Maggie Holdsworth. "I didn't think I was a racist ...." at the Loft studio.

Thanks for getting me back into local/amateur theatre-going! Just been to the above show and particularly enjoyed the after-show discussion between the audience (sadly very small on a very lovely, sunny afternoon) and the writer and the producer. It was great to have the opportunity to hear the views of everyone else and to contribute my own two-pennyworth.