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Thin Walls: (Men)tal Health

 
Richard Beck Review by Richard Beck 3 Published: 6 Aug 2025 Greenside @ George Street Show Dates: 1 Aug 2025-9 Aug 2025

The newly written Thin Walls: Men(tal) Health comes from the theatre class of Wabash College Professor Heidi Winters Vogel, in Crawfordsville, Indiana. The project began in January, and all aspects of its devising and production have consumed her students through to its opening at Greenside @ George Street.

A classic piece of student ensemble theatre

The class – Sean Bledsoe, Eamon Colglazier, Alejandro Cruz, Brody Frey, Tyler Horton, Dane Market, Preston Parker, Alex Schmidt, Gabrien Smith and Carson Wirtz – all contributed to the writing, and each has a part in the end product, including stage manager Xavier Cienfuegos. They chose the title to emphasise the work’s central theme: that men are often separated from each other by only a thin veneer of masculinity, which they use to hide the choices they make in their lives.

Speaking about the work, Professor Vogel says the themes emerged from the students’ own life experiences. “They are experimenting with what a new masculinity might look like,” she said. “Through devised performances, this show unearths the pressures, contradictions, and vulnerabilities that shape the male experience … asking men if they are willing to be vulnerable and honest, and enter relationships in a less combative way.” And vulnerability is exactly what the students have exposed themselves to – not only in opening up, but in pushing themselves to create and perform, as only a few had experience on stage before this project.

The exploration of cultural masculinity is set in the context of the relationship between three brothers immediately after their stereotypically masculine father has died, interwoven with aspects of college life that range over issues of depression, loneliness, peer pressure and violence.

Thin Walls: Men(tal) Health is a classic piece of student ensemble theatre, featuring a wide range of performance abilities.

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The Blurb:

An all-male ensemble explores the pitfalls of masculinity. This theatre piece explores men's struggles with depression, loneliness, belonging, brotherhood, violence, peer pressure and emotional vulnerability, all while having to be a provider, lover, father, brother… Is it possible to be truly sensitive to others and still take care of number one, holding onto a solid sense of personal identity? Delve into the shifting roles, expectations and struggles of modern masculinity. Through devised performances, this show unearths the pressures, contradictions and vulnerabilities that shape the male experience. What would a healthy masculinity look like?