Toronto Fringe Review: Under Pressure

The spirit of revolution is alive and well with Sandcastle Theatre in their devised creation Under Pressure. This play tells the story of a high school activism gone awry as social politics and personal relationships cloud the focus of a student protest against their school’s dress code. With strong writing and a fully engaged ensemble, this production delivers a strong message about the importance of standing up for what you believe in.

The interweaving character dynamics within the story created a realistic presentation of the ‘wild west’ of high school, complete with competing personal objectives and the terrors of teenage hormones. Overall, the comedic tone of the play was consistent, and did not undermine the seriousness of the central conflict. A majority of the humour of the story was born from within character tensions - with one notable exception being a departure from the reality of the play into a film noir fantasy. While it was a somewhat unexpected escape from the established world, it was undeniably charming.

Within the world of the play, some character tensions were left unresolved, including the impact (and potential trauma) of physical and emotional violence. Far from establishing a “happily ever after” narrative, the play left a number of lingering challenges the characters will undoubtedly still have to face, proving true that, in life, there are seldom easy answers to difficult questions.

The potential of the story veering into an after-school special was avoided by building characters that undermine the expectations of stereotypes. All the more impressive is that this piece was devised by the company themselves. The nature of this story reveals how teamwork and collectively striving towards a political message can sometimes prove to be unwieldy, but director Stephanie Fowler keeps the play’s vision and execution on track.

Under Pressure is on now until July 17 as part of the 2022 Toronto Fringe Festival.
Find show times and tickets here.

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