Brighton Performance Review: ‘Exxy’ by Dan Daw Creative Projects

Summary

Rating:  ★★★★☆ 
Duration:  60 minutes 
Running Dates:  6th and 7th of November 2025
Where to see it:  Attenborough Centre for the Creative Arts, University of Sussex, Brighton
Keywords: Empowering, vulnerable, unapologetic

Photography by Eric Anneborn

Review

First and foremost the accessibility of this show was truly phenomenal. The team behind the Dan Daw Creative Projects were welcoming and provided pre-show care that I, for one, have never experienced before. On arrival, there were free ear plugs and fidget toys provided, as well as an extensive list of detailed trigger warnings about the performance.  Additionally there was also an opportunity for early entry into the auditorium to hear the volume and see the lighting at full scale to know what to expect. The accessibility throughout the performance itself was also fantastic with constant projected subtitles, a volume and lighting symbol to alert the audience of the sound or lights intensifying, and a British Sign Language interpreter with reserved seating for the best view. 

The introduction to the show sets the performance in the Australian outback, more specifically Dan Daw’s childhood in his nan’s garden. The choice for this setting of the performance is, as Dan Daw puts it, because it is the last place he felt rested. The narrative of the performance continues with this feeling as the overarching theme, constant exhaustion in a world that makes life so turbulent. Dan has cerebral palsy and is joined on stage by Tiiu Mortley, Joseph Brown and Sofia Valderi who all walk and talk like him. 

Through a range of physical dance performances and intermittent stories and poems the four performers offer an insight into how they view this world, live in this world and deal with this world. The most notable section, for me, was when each performer was called forward one by one to compete at the same movements, in turn if they were successful they were called to sit down, until only Joseph Brown was left. What followed was a comparison of Dan Daw’s stereotypical ‘visible’ cerebral palsy and Joseph Brown’s stereotypical ‘invisible’ cerebral palsy, using the phrasing “I am better at cerebral palsy because…”. This way of phrasing and comparison really stuck with me, especially relating to the ongoing battle of not all disabilities being visible. 

Towards the end of the performance there was a song with the lyrics “I can tour the whole world, but I can’t butter my own bread.” This, in my opinion, truly encapsulated the entire performance in such a meaningful way. The performance ended with the audience singing The Power of Love by Jennifer Rush, a song Dan Daw’s nan used to sing to him in the garden he grew up playing in. 

Overall, the production quality and accessibility surrounding and during the performance was incredible. The cast performed exceptionally and the themes were truly heartfelt. My only wish for future performances from Dan Daw Creative Projects is to potentially extend the runtime so that more stories, poems and real life experiences could be shared. 

Written by Hazel Earthy