Review: Four stars for Chickenshed's powerful new drama

Chickenshed proves no topic is out of bounds as the theatre company delves into the sensitive subject of domestic abuse for its latest show, In the Absence of Silence. 
Based on the lives of real women from the South Gwynedd Domestic Abuse Service in Wales, the play holds a poignant message that this issue should not be shied away from because it is an uncomfortable theme. Instead, the characters regale their tales with confidence to show they are survivors, not victims. 
As you walk into the auditorium before the show begins, the space the actors are to occupy is much smaller than you expect. There is no formal stage, as the audience perch on benches that circle a set, which is backlit by images of crashing waves. 
The blurb on the programme gives a brief synopsis of the show but you still do not know quite what is going to happen or how the plot will develop. 
As the drama unfolds, it is full of surprises and twists that help illustrate the pain the girls have experienced in their individual lives. 
Five friends meet up for the day at the seaside in a nameless town for a picnic. In the intimate setting of the studio theatre and being so close to the performers, it feels like you are part of their conversation and shared jokes as they take pictures of each other on a selfie stick and dip their feet in the sea.
The day progresses and we see beneath the surface of the laughter and teasing to the dark secrets lurking below, which they share and bond over. Each girl has a different story to tell and an experience of being emotionally and physically controlled, even if it is only through subtle things, such as Sandra’s story, performed by Charlotte Bull, detailing how her fella was strict about how she positioned her seat while she was driving. If it didn’t suit his requirements, he would get angry. 
The girls don’t sit and talk the entire show, as there are lots of different visual elements woven into the dialogue. 
A particularly memorable scene included the girls dressing up in their favourite outfits to Nancy Sinatra’s classic These Boots Are Made for Walkin’. The clothes they wear express their individuality but as the song progresses, the girls realise their expression and sense of self is taken away when they are being abused. 
Another standout part is when Kelly, played by Holly Skinner, mentions how her other half complained when she used the wrong type of spoon. At first, it only sounds like a small problem but the criticisms build and build until she gets to the point where she ponders whether to end it all in order to escape the pain she is feeling. 
While you watch the play, you get lost in the stories of the characters and how they couldn’t prevent their abuse because they were in love and it is easy to forget this is based on real life experiences. 
The idea for the play began five years ago when the creative team, including writer Dave Carey and co-director Christine Niering, visited a Creu Cymru conference for theatres and art centres in Wales. They met Ian MacKenzie-Thurley, an artistic director based in the Welsh county of Merioneth who had been running workshops with children in refugee camps. Between them, they decided to run Chickenshed workshops with women who had survived domestic abuse and from there, the show started to build over two years. 
It has been a long process but it is certainly impressive that the creative team managed to fit so much into a show that lasts just over an hour long with no interval.
It was the right amount of time, as you felt like you delved into the characters’ experience long enough to feel sympathetic and sad for them without it dragging on too long. 
Even if it is not an experience you have ever gone through personally, you still leave with a feeling of hope that no matter how isolated and trapped you can feel within a situation, the support of your friends and loved ones can show you there is a way out and eventually you can be happy once more.