A lyrical and immersive play diving into the hidden stories of migrant healthcare workers - and a stark reminder of the struggles faced by those isolated from their loved ones in the Covid-19 pandemic - visits the region this autumn.

Lightstreams, which showed at Midlands Arts Centre (MAC) on Friday 9 October, follows Maurice (Zakaria Meknas) and Hermia (Gabriela Chanova), a married couple who have recently made their home in the UK, with a baby on the way. Mauriece sees promise in his newly found job, working in a care home for the elderly, while Hermia misses their homeland, feeling restrained in the lightless building where they must make a new home. 

As Hermia hears more about rising Coronavirus cases in different corners of the world, her anxiety also climbs, and she feels that Maurice should be prioritizing the health of his wife and child, over risking his health to continue caring for the home’s residents. Maurice, meanwhile, feels increasingly disconnected in his own home, and finds comfort caring for Darya (Eugenia Caruso), who reminds him of his own grandmother. 

Darya looms large in both of their lives until she finally appears in person, like a spectre - a physical manifestation of Maurice’s torn responsibilities, and another example of a life dismantled by isolation. 

Writer Mary Mazzilli asks the question, ‘Who cares for the carers?’ in this impactful play, shining a light on the assumptions and expectations placed on the people who work in largely thankless but essential jobs. There is a universality to the three characters’ stories, while also seeming unique and deeply personal. 

Mazzilli employs a conversational style of dialogue - perhaps inspired by her interviews with people who shared similar experiences to Maurice in the play. The parallel narration from Hermia and Maurice overlaps, as they share phrases and topics of conversation - at first this is cheerful and companionable, but as the tension between them rises, their colliding voices become unsettling and confrontational.

Shown in MAC’s intimate Hexagon Theatre, the audience were almost brought into the couple’s increasingly claustrophobic living space - an effect ingeniously intensified by Set Designer Joy Chen. Their world is reduced to stacks of dingy removal boxes and muted tones - heartbreaking as Hermia reminisces about the colour, light and life of her previous home. 

Meanwhile, the boxes provide a reminder of another thematic pillar of the play - in spite of his hard work, pride and personal sacrifice, Maurice’s place in British society is still bitterly transient, and there are many who remain antagonistic and ungrateful towards him and his work, in the place he wishes to call home. 

Lightstreams is an affecting and thought-provoking piece, and as it continues its tour around the region, is well worth a watch. 

Four Stars

Lightstreams was reviewed on Friday 9 October by Jessica Clixby at Midlands Arts Centre (MAC). 

The production returns to the region on Tuesday 20 October at Rother Street Arts House, Stratford-upon-Avon, Wolverhampton’s Arena Theatre on Friday 23 October, and Coventry’s Albany Theatre on Saturday 24 October.