This is how Silenced is described online: “Four friends play a game with a Ouija board that takes a turn for the worse when the spirit they summon fights back.”

What happened to Emma? Ava, Noah, Isabelle and Robin decide to hold a séance with a Ouija board to see if they can summon up her presence. Isabelle thinks it’s going to be hilarious, Ava is terrified and wants no part in it, whilst Noah and Robin turn up for the banter and the munchies. At first it’s all light-hearted, with Isabelle probably pushing the planchette that picks out the letters on the board. But then there are noises… and lights flicker… and suddenly it’s not so light-hearted anymore.

There’s no doubt that this is a spooky production, with definite scary moments! All four of the characters become zombified at times, as the spirit of Emma takes over their bodies. The changes of facial expression and voice for when each person was affected worked very well, and there was quite a lot of stage violence/combat which was for the most part extremely effective. In particular, Blake Oliver as Noah was an especially scary zombie as he hurled the other characters around the stage with effortless ease. Erin Hamilton was very convincing as the reticent Ava, and Shannon Lambert was excellent as the bossy Isabelle. Will Merrylees played the oafish Robin as a fine specimen of toxic masculinity.

Given that it’s not a long play, I found it a little repetitive as each character goes through the Emma-cycle, without much being added to our understanding of the situation with each one. I also thought that some of the banter between the two guys was a bit more in-your-face than I expected – even though it was perfectly realistic. Additionally, congratulations to all the cast for carrying on regardless in the face (or rather the sound!) of an unexpected fire alarm; they didn’t flinch an inch. And I really enjoyed the “possessed” curtain call!