Brighton Fringe 2016
Whiskey Tango Foxtrot
Rebecca Crookshank
Genre: Solo Show, Storytelling, Theatre
Venue: Sweet venues
Festival: Brighton Fringe
Low Down
A heart-warming tale of courage and survival, in a one woman show.
Based on the true story of ex-Airwoman Crookshank’s time serving in the Royal Air Force protecting the UK Air Defence Region, charting her journey from basic training to the Falkland Islands. She celebrates friendship, awakens her creativity, and uncovers the dark truths about sexual harassment and bullying in the armed forces.
Rebecca Crookshank, an ex-Airwoman in the RAF who flew in a Tornado F3, is the writer/performer in the Whiskey Tango Foxtrot.
Jessica Beck – Director / Dramaturg
Alberta Jones – Designer
Oliver Taheri- Producer
Nominated for Best New Play, Best New Production, Best Actress and Best Director in the 2015 Broadway World Awards.
Warning: Contains weapons, strong language and penguins.
Review
Whiskey Tango Foxtrot is an educational, funny, political, true and emotional solo performance that reaches the sensitive subject about a woman serving in the RAF and her place there. It is a documentary about Rebecca Crookshank and her extraordinary life experience.
As soon as the curtain is raised, this thin woman, full with energy, welcomes you in a very military stereotypical way, screaming and shouting with a big smile on her red lips.
The whole story is very well built. All personal videos and photos used in the show allow you to follow the story. The sounds effects, short pieces of famous old school songs make the public to recall the years Rebecca envisages. Crookshank is always laughing at her own stories that make the spectator loving her.
Rebecca also has the extraordinary talent to communicate with the public. Several times during the show, she interacts with the audience in a very spontaneous and natural way. The spectator is not just observing but he becomes her partner in the play.
Full of power and energy she reveals several innovative ideas how to make life in the army easier. She uses sanitary pads for women to protect her shoulders from heavy guns, carried on the shoulders. She is not afraid of the bullets’ noise. It turns into a dance rhythm for her. From the beginning till the end she is the lady in the army, she is not trying to turn into a man. She never forgets who she is and she uses her feminine identity to become part of a very masculine environment.
Her grandmother’s death, the depression, lack of her close friend and the conflicting situations with her male colleagues, who always try to get into her room after a drink, make her leave the RAF. In a remarkable way she manages to blend this fine line between horror and comedy.
I personally was deeply touched with the outstanding issues of the performance and even burst into tears. The subject of womens’ place in the today’s society never finds the correct answer in today’s life. There is and there will always be environment that tries to push down the place of women. Rebecca finds the force and power to talk about this problem and she does it in an extraordinary emotional happy way. Crookshank’s show is more than original comedy with cruel elements. I highly recommend it, because this show is a necessity for our society. This show needs to be seen by everyone. Everybody should feel the female power of Crookshank, representing the women in our century.
