Poised in the delicate space between concert and theatre, Permission to Speak explores the most universal of relationships – that of parent and child – as it exists and evolves through a lifetime. This first-time collaboration between director Tamara Saulwick (Endings) and composer Kate Neal (Semaphore) pairs contemporary performance with musical composition to construct a revealing portrait of that which is often left unspoken.

Musings, diatribes, recollections and hindsight find voice as four performer–vocalists are fused in choral counterpoint with an assembly of pre-recorded voices, offering multiple perspectives on the contemporary experience of family. What would we say to those who brought us into the world? What will we say to those we leave behind?

Built from interviews with people of all
ages, Permission to Speak interweaves the complexities, parallels and paradoxes of this dynamic relationship – manifested through the speaking, sounding, singing human voice.