Reclaim Festival: Into the Pit review

Adrian Clark enjoys a surreal cut-up cabaret about identity, class, community… and coal mining.

This event is part of Reclaim Festival, a yearly celebration of women in the arts, featuring new writing, workshops, music and more. As part of the festival, and in conjunction with June Boom, I went along to see Into the Pit, AK Golding’s debut solo show – billed as ‘an anarchic coal-mining cabaret that drags you headfirst into the grit, graft and glory of coal’s past’. In it, Golding explores what it means to come from a working-class mining family while also being a queer, neurodiverse theatre-making millennial. Add in high-octane skits, surreal character monologues, clowning, Billy Elliot spoofs, shadow puppetry and original show tunes, and you get an unruly whistle-stop tour through the history of the UK mining industry.

From the outset, we are invited to descend into the pit and help bring a little light into the darkness. Supplied with torches, audience members are encouraged by Golding to shine their lights at various points throughout the performance in a kind of “shine your light if you’ve ever” game. It’s a playful introduction; in effect, we become the lighting assistants for the evening, but which also shines a light on our own vulnerabilities and fears.

With limited stage space and only a handful of props, Golding expertly guided us through different eras, each with its own themes and messages, while always keeping mining at the heart of the story. At its core, this is a history lesson brought vividly to life, complete with impressive high kicks and catchy original songs. While Golding brings plenty of self-deprecating humour to the performance, I was particularly impressed by the strength of the vocals. One of the highlights of the evening was being serenaded by a coal puppet singing about the history of coal and our changing relationship with it over time (“I feel used – and not in a good way”). Throughout the show, the audience are also invited to share their feelings on a variety of subjects; it’s charmingly engaging, and Golding does it with great skill – there’s an easy rapport with the audience from minute one.

The Victoria Wood-esque monologues were superbly delivered and, although not every moment was flawless, Golding turned any slip-ups into an opportunity for humour, endearing them further to the audience. The shadow puppetry sequence was another marvellous touch, providing a welcome change in tone and pace after some of the more energetic earlier sections. This segment offered a glimpse into life underground, illustrating the realities of a typical day in the pit and reminding us of the risks miners faced and the harsh conditions they endured. The show ended on a particularly poignant and personal note, with Golding reflecting on the relationship they had with

their grandfather – it was his encouragement that first inspired Golding to sing. It was an unexpected yet fitting finale, highlighting how Golding’s journey into theatre may never have happened without his support. As an actor, theatre-maker, writer and deviser, Golding focuses on creating work that explores working-class legacies, often through the female experience in former mining communities. Work like this deserves support, shining a light on themes of class, community and climate change. Through satire, song and storytelling, Golding communicates these important themes in a way that is engaging, informative and uniquely entertaining.

A huge shout-out must also go to Katie Villa, for her brilliant curation of Reclaim’s fantastic programme.