Villain

Social work must be one of the most thankless professions going. Despite the dedication to helping other people, public opinion can flip in an instant. Drawing from similar real-life cases like Baby P and Victoria Climbié, Martin Murphy tells the story from the perspective of care worker Rachel, the public face of the tragedy. Since the child’s family is not allowed to be named, she's the one who ends up bearing the brunt of public odium. 

Murphy’s monologue flits between periods in Rachel’s life, from leaving university and getting a job in a call centre to dealing with the distressing aftermath of a social work case that ended horrifically. He doesn’t make her a perfect person. She works for years flogging mobile phone insurance to vulnerable people over the phone, she drinks heavily, she seduces other women’s boyfriends. But there’s a marked shift when Rachel decides to move into social work, a world in which she thinks she can find fulfilment. Rachel is satisfied when she realises that she is genuinely helping other people. So her vilification is even more poignant when it comes. 

Performer Maddie Rice switches effortlessly between the various time periods, adeptly playing Rachel as a fresh-faced recent graduate and as a worn-down, tormented public enemy. It’s a carefully written and very human play that finds a new perspective on a sadly familiar narrative.