Seven figures in blue hospital gowns are crouched on stage. A metronome plays in the background. Slowly and in unison, they look up, as each struggles to get a sense of their body and their surroundings. One by one, they tell their stories.
This is a verbatim piece by Chimaera Productions, sponsored by Support in Mind Scotland, a mental health charity. The stories of ten or so real people battling different kinds of mental illnesses are told in their own words, by a professional cast. There is the woman contemplating suicide every day, the young person secretly self-harming, the student unable to cope with his studies, the mother with severe postnatal depression and the alcoholic drinking to avoid her own pain. Their stories are brought to life by one actor at a time, with a physical response or visual illumination from the remaining chorus in the form of words, cries, or movements.
There is no set. The actors fill the space and create their own furnishings where necessary. There is a strong sense of being in this together and of working as one to create something new.
The acting is satisfactory, with one outstanding performance. Rebecca Hale plays the part of a woman struggling with her own mortality and she does so with an intensity that is almost frightening.
This is an issue-based play, which challenges stigma and discrimination and several characters emphasise this point. It also champions the medical model, in that we are told that mental illness is an illness the same as diabetes or asthma and is caused by a faulty gene. This ignores the developmental and social aspects of mental ill health and at times sounded a little preachy. However, this is a good, solid 3 star free fringe production, with a conscience and a battle cry that deserves to be heard.
