This month, Gozo’s Ringside Theatre Company (RTC) is presenting Mike Bartlett’s Bull, a thought-provoking one-act tale of bullying and brutality in the workplace, wrapped in wry humour.

A new venture in 2022, RTC is fast making a name for itself as the face of contemporary fringe theatre in Gozo, where previously it has been a much under-represented genre.

“Bartlett is a great contemporary writer. His razor-sharp comedy is so dark I have heard it described as ‘ink black’,” director Jayne Giordanella says. “And because Bull touches on a real-world issue, everyone can relate to his characters and their relationships.”

The show, which descends from ‘normal’ cutting office banter into savage character assassination, presents an everyday situation which is blown into fantastical proportions.

It’s about competition, greed and the capacity of people for manipulation and deception

“That’s the beauty of theatre,” Giordanella says. “By doing so, we’re making the audience consider what was previously unthinkable, and they realise that Bull’s extreme version of events really could happen. It’s a heart-breaking reflection of society today.

“Bull may be set in the office where three candidates compete for two jobs,” she continues, “but it runs much deeper than that. It’s about competition, greed and the capacity of people for manipulation and deception.”

While the story is cut-throat, the play is rich in witty dialogue and ‘playground’ exchanges – the sort of mudslinging one would expect between jostling schoolchildren – which add a comic element. While amusing, these lines provoke a nervous laugh and an internal conflict in the viewer.

“Although they’re funny, you feel uneasy being amused, because you’re taking part in these small put-downs, each a tiny nugget of malice, as they build into something bigger and brutal,” the director notes. “It’s an interesting and clever play with a cast of four,” she continues, “and because the script has no stage directions, Bartlett has left the interpretation completely open to the director.”

Giordanella says she saw clear parallels between the play and the formal structure of a bullfight from the very beginning. She explains that a bullfight is performed in three short sections: first, the matador observes the bull, he is then assisted by banderilleros to weaken the bull and then goes in for the kill.

Welcoming RTC is the Queen Mary University of London, Malta Campus, whose medical school lecture hall offers the perfect venue with a big-time corporate freshness and tiered seating in vibrant orange that perhaps evokes, for this show, the sizzle and passion of Spain and the bullring. For a play that, on the surface, is about office politics, yet mirrors the drama and savagery of bullfighting, it’s a masterfully chosen performance space.

“I see Isobel, the acid-tongued ‘bullfighter’ of the show, as a sociopath, or borderline psychopath who delights in hurting others,” the director continues. “Playing Isobel as a cold and calculating snake, Kelly Peplow commands the stage. It’s an interesting thought that because Isobel’s young and smart and hides her malevolence behind a beautiful smile, the audience and the men on stage could be partially blinded to her ruthless ambition.

“In this play, which intrigues with multiple ambiguities, there’s an unaddressed suggestion that she may have had a difficult childhood, hinting at the question whether this would explain or excuse her behaviour.”

Giordanella goes on to say that we all know people who ride roughshod over others to reach their goals, and Bull intends to make the audience wonder how many people with these Machiavellian traits that we encounter in everyday life would bring other people down for their own personal gain.

“School bullies take those tendencies with them into adulthood, into the work environment and into political institutions, for example. It’s a real problem, and for people struggling with these issues, there’s a charity called ‘bBrave’ offering support here in Malta,” she says.

Isobel’s colleagues are Tony, played by Alex Weenink, a likeable man who “plays the game”, and Thomas (Edward Thorpe), the metaphorical bull, a dependable hardworking man with some challenges in his home life who, in this fast-paced performance, the audience sees unravel before their eyes.

Joining these three experienced actors, Gozo’s Bob Cardona makes his stage debut as Carter, the classic office boss who has worked his way up and doesn’t mince his words.

“Finding and showcasing local talent is part of what we’re doing with Ringside Theatre Company. Bob has been a member of our weekly drama group from the start and we spotted a diamond in the rough that just needed a little polishing,” says the director. “He’s very charismatic on stage.”

At the end of each performance, there will be a brief Q&A session at which the audience can ask their questions of both Giordanella and the cast.

“Because people will be shocked by the savagery of the story, it’s a chance for the audience to discuss what they have seen collaboratively and reaffirm some faith in humanity,” she says.

 

Ringside Theatre Company’s Bull by Mike Bartlett runs from November 9 to 12 and 16 to 19 at the Queen Mary University of London, Malta Campus, in Victoria. For more information and tickets, visit www.ringsidetheatre.com.