‘skilfully striking at the broken heart of relationships past, present, and future’
Performed as part of Queer Moves, an evening of new work by LGBTQIA+ artists from Liverpool City Region, and commissioned by Culture Liverpool for Leap Dance Festival 2026, Red Flag is a piece of physical theatre devised and performed by Rowena Gander in collaboration with director Izzie Major, which explores the impact of narcissistic abuse and objectification on an individual’s sense of self, agency, and bodily autonomy.
Opening to a voice over across a darkened and empty stage, Gander emerges and we are confronted by our first conundrum: is she the voice, or the person the voice is talking about? Or maybe she is both, because there is ying and yang – good and bad – within all of us.
Words will never do justice to physical theatre because it is naturally interpretative and when done well, engages the audience to the extent that they will impose their own perspective and experiences upon it. That is all rather clever, and Gander demonstrates with this piece that she has the talent to successfully pull it off.
With the pre-recorded voice over playing around our minds, a visual tableau unfolds that is challenging and rewarding, confrontational yet thought provoking as we plough through our own memories of relationships where we did wrong or were wronged. It is graphic without being offensive or lewd; sensual and sexual without being exploitative; and skilfully striking at the broken heart of relationships past, present, and future.
Less is certainly more and Gander’s masterly command of the stage brings her natural inner and outer beauty to the fore. Charismatic and mesmerising throughout, her eyes literally transfix you, holding your attention, drawing you in, and then releasing you, sometimes slowly, sometimes not.
Major’s subtle use of lighting takes full advantage of the contrasts of dark, light, and shade to embellish the unfolding narrative, with the introduction of a metaphorical red a visual masterstroke that plays out in so many ways.
I’ve always liked Gabriel Byrne’s approach of assuming that your audience are intelligent and letting them work it out for themselves. Whilst the themes of this piece may be complex and defy a simple re-telling, when presented as well as they are here, it is a delightful journey to follow.
As I’ve noted with Gander’s previous work, although the focus is on lesbian relationships, her work resonates on a number of levels and as a heterosexual man, I find it accessible and with this piece, very recognisable from my own relationship experiences.
We are all so much more alike than we care to admit yet the world would quickly become a better place if we did. Gander’s work goes some way to helping people realise that and I look forward to seeing this piece develop further and hopefully play to that wider audience.
Rowena Gander is an academic/international performance artist who creates thought provoking solo performance works that question and negotiate themes of sexuality, power, and objectification in women. For further information on her work including this production www.rowenagander.com
Red Flag performed as part of the Leap Dance Festival 2026 which is funded by the Arts Council England. Further details https://www.leapfestival.co.uk/
Review Date: 1st May 2026
Star Rating: FOUR