FORGIVENESS by Tyna Taskila at The White Bear Theatre & Rosemary Branch

‘Forgiveness is a powerful story of hope, resilience and new beginning’ ★★★★

It takes a tremendous amount of courage and bravery to tackle the subject of childhood abuse and trauma. More so when it is one character telling the story of traumatic experiences that seem to recur in many forms and ordeals throughout childhood, young teenage life and adulthood.

Forgiveness is a solo show written and performed by Tyna Taskila under the direction of Sam Edmunds. A raw performance of the character Tessa who struggles to cope with the trauma of her past which she thought she had buried. A phone call about her mother’s terminal illness was the trigger to draw adult Tessa back into the horrific experiences she endured as a child of 5 years old.

The set design of wooden wall planks effect, creating the warmth and the cosiness of log cabins of North Finland, became transformed into a platform of mini scenes from the life of Tessa as she encountered abuse, physical harm, verbal abuse, insults, humiliation, and intimidation from a controlling and possessive mother. A wooden log seat in the middle of the stage served as the trunk of a tree towards which young Tessa found herself running to for escape and hiding. The sound and lighting effects created by Rob Hart, the sound designer and Ed Scragg, the lighting designer, were very effective in drawing the audience into those disturbing scenes. The life story of Tessa being continuously abused and humiliated as a 10-year-old and then as a 15-year-old was quite upsetting.

As a mother herself, adult Tessa has a choice to make. Being a victim of generational trauma, she is fully aware that her decisions can affect how she raises her own 8 years old daughter Lillie. Towards the end of the show, Tessa confronts her own fears of visiting her sick mother, hence coming face to face with the one she once considered to be a monster but was now, only a frail looking dying human being.

Forgiveness is a powerful story of hope, resilience and new beginning at the end of a dark tunnel. Tyna Taskila’s goal, by doing the show, is for every child to feel safe at home. Her hope is to continue raising awareness of child abuse and she is currently calling for donations to be made to the NSPCC, the UK children’s charity.

Directed by Sam Edmunds

Venue: The White Bear Theatre (Dates: 19th - 23rd September 2023 at 7:30pm)

Venue: Rosemary Branch Theatre (Dates: 3rd - 5th November 2023 at 7:30pm)

Box Office Link: https://www.rosemarybranchtheatre.co.uk/show/forgiveness

Reviewed by Melanie Lam