ABSTRACT
Like many of his plays, the central focus of Barlett’s early works is family, whether the family covers multiple generations (Not Talking), an immediate family dynamic (My Child), or a non-traditional family structure (Cock). While the make-up of the family is the prime narrative framework, his early plays keenly hone in on the nature of dominance and control, where characters battle with family members and non-family members to maintain their status. Sacha Wares, who directed My Child explained that his early plays are all about gamesmanship. “‘What’s the game?’, ‘How is it scored?’, and, crucially, ‘How do you win?’ – these are the questions I’ve heard Mike ask many times when talking about his plays and the world in general. For him, good theatre is a high-stakes game where private actions are played out under public scrutiny” (Wares 2011: ix). This chapter will look at the gamesmanship to see why the game is even being played. What drives these characters’ competitiveness are the expectations placed on them by society and surrounding institutions, as they look to maintain their social standing. In all three plays, Bartlett highlights characters who are struggling with or fighting against the societal and structural systems that surround and define them.
