I’m always excited to see the work of established theatre companies and directors to see how they can set the theatrical benchmark for other companies. Lucky for me, then, to get the chance to see Out of Joint Theatre Company’s new production of Crouch, Touch, Pause, Engage. A verbatim piece by Robin Soans and developed in collaboration with National Theatre Wales and Arcola Theatre, and directed by Max Stafford-Clark, I was looking forward to popping into the West Yorkshire Playhouse’s Courtyard Theatre.

Crouch, Touch, Pause, Engage revolves around the most prominent gay sportsman of our time, Welsh rugby player Gareth ‘Alfie’ Thomas (played by Rhys ap William and all the other members of the cast throughout). Throughout his long and fantastic career, Alfie has to deal with keeping a secret that he reckons will wreck his sporting career, as well as cloud his ability to come to terms with his own identity – he’s gay. We meet a variety of characters through the retelling of how he overcame such a fear and embraced who he was, including his mum and dad, teammates and wife. Running alongside Alfie’s story is the story of two girls, Meryl and Darcey (Katie Elin-Salt and Lauren Roberts respectively) also struggling to find their identities in the tough world of growing up.

This is a brilliant piece of theatre that showcases the resilience and determination that’s buried deep within us, and it’s told equally brilliantly by the whole company. Each cast member is versatile and engaging in their performances of the different characters that have played significant roles in Alfie’s life. It’s also cool to see each of them play Alfie, conveying the idea that his own resilience is present in all of us, and it adds a positive energy to the show that further engages you with the story. Each portrayal is honest and enjoyable to watch throughout the course of the show.

The characters also contribute to the powerful scenography of the piece, which is bolstered by a well-designed set and dynamic lighting, both of which assist the actors in the telling of Alfie’s story. Scene changes are signified by changes in light. While this can be quite a simple technique in many theatrical productions, it’s one of the most effective in modern plays like this, and helps fuel the audience’s imagination and engage them with the narrative. The lack of furniture makes scene transitions smooth and makes this piece all about the quality of the dialogue and story of the characters.

There were, however, moments in the show where certain techniques heightened the action and reinforced the overall meaning of the piece, and I felt it was a bit of a shame that there weren’t more of these moments dotted throughout. For example, towards the end of Act One when Alfie and Darcey contemplate ending it all, the atmosphere completely changes through the use of sound, lighting and proxemics; it would have been nice if more of the play’s highly intimate and dramatic moments like these were reinforced by the production values.

Despite this, Crouch, Touch, Pause, Engage makes for some excellent theatre that inspires resilience, integrity and honesty in its audience. It’s enjoyable to watch and begins to throw plenty of questions about the world we live in today out into the audience, and it’s certainly worth seeing while its on tour.

Crouch, Touch, Pause, Engage is at West Yorkshire Playhouse until 4 April and is then on tour. For more information and tickets, see the National Theatre Wales website.