Unheard Voices, Unbroken Spirits continues at Big Yin at Gilded Balloon Patter House until 31 August 2026 (except 17, 18).
Star rating: four stars ★ ★ ★ ★ ✩
“I’m not just a case file number, I’m a person,” is the line that seems best to describe what’s at the heart of this moving and authentic musical expression of life as a child in care.
Authentic, because TAME is a community theatre company comprised of Edinburgh-based kids living in care or who are care-experienced. Producer, director and composer Talia Maysey, alongside writer and co-creator Lauren Boyle, have lived this. They know how it works and what it feels like to be hidden within a system that strips you of your individuality, when it should be nurturing and supporting children through some of the most complex times of their lives.
The music by Maysey is melodic and modern with a kind of indie rock feel. Beautifully clever, brutally honest and often poignant lyrics that get straight to the point. The young cast members do their best with this complex score. Some of the tracks are a little sparse in their arrangement, leaving the actors slightly lost at times. But the rousing final number from the full company, ‘Together We Soar’, absolutely hits the mark. There’s a real sense of bonding between the kids that exudes the kind of confidence that will see them through.
There are a couple of alternating casts, to make sure as many of the company as possible get involved. Boyle played the main character, Daisy, when I saw it. Angry, vulnerable, lost. Broken, but defiant. “Somewhere along the line, they gave up on me. This is the life nobody wants.” And you really feel that she means it.
And what happens when you reach the age where the care system is no longer responsible for you? The transition from care to solo living is movingly sung by a young man whose name I don’t have, pleading: “Who’ll be there to catch me?”
The script and storyline don’t shy away from the trauma and tragedy that exist in this world, but the overwhelming feeling is one of optimism, of hope, of coming together and really being there for each other.
These are voices that absolutely must be heard, and I for one, am glad I heard them.
Steven Wren
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