SHE | indelabilityarts
At the entrance of the theatre, I come face to face with an area, set alongside a wall. It is decked out in cool shades of green complete with comfortable looking chairs and a small table. My curiosity is peaked and my excitement intensifies as I make my way to my seat.
Another surprise awaits me!
A nondescript white box nestles comfortably on my seat. The lid bears the word ‘SHE’ accompanied by the usual shout out to the creatives involved. I’m super keen to open this mystery box but resist the urge to do so. I reluctantly allow common sense to prevail as I glance across the auditorium. A quick survey of the space reveals that the audience is predominantly female and that this particular show is nearly full house.
Before SHE begins, the all female cast are perched on separate boxes of various sizes. Their costumes are simple - tracksuit pants, pajamas, slippers, onesies, barefoot, loose-fitting t-shirts. Their welcoming smiles and casual enough postures creates a feeling of comfort. But once the play begins, that initial feeling quickly morphs into the complete opposite.
All images by Orange Schmorange
A performer reads from a clipboard introducing each new story which is preceded by a number. As the stories unfold, I find myself literally wilting in my seat. My anxiety rapidly increases and my disbelief at this unfolding reality becomes all consuming. Aurora Liddle-Christie, Jessica Veurman, Morgan Maguire and Rebecca Alexander embody their roles as they portray the anguish, the vulnerability, the anxiety, the self-loathing/self-harm, the loneliness, the unhappiness, the suicidal tendencies, the eating disorders, the abuse, and more, so much more that is associated with mental health. Their deadpan delivery is punctuated only by their synchronised knee bends as together they mutter and mumble the words “stable mental condition”. A mantra that holds little weight given the severity and debilitating effects that mental health presents.
Intermittently, that dialogue is interrupted as a page is torn from the clipboard and gleefully relinquished to the proverbial Pandora’s box. In this instance, it’s the keeper of the many ills associated with mental health. Unsettling at most, the script is simultaneously delivered by disembodied voices fraught with emotion and effectively accompanied by flickering, colour changing light bulbs resulting in a chilling effect.
A solution in the form of exercise solicits uproarious laughter. Followed by medication flooding the stage from a box suspended from the ceiling. Silence prevails as the performers scramble to fill their pill cups and ingest the contents. Catatonia ensues.
But all is not lost. A performer dressed in a smart bright pink dress undertakes a ritual like shower, signaling a glimmer of hope which springs eternal as the remaining three performers appear on stage dressed in similar stylish outfits. Each performer exudes a sense of calm and serenity as they embrace and huddle together in a group.
Teegan Kranenburg’s lighting design was integral to creating and sustaining the overarching mood for SHE. Blue and green lighting changes were synonymous with comfort and calm while bright yellow, glaring or strobe, offset feelings of discomfort.
All images by Orange Schmorange
Various sized boxes made up the majority of the props which effectively contributed to position changes. The eye-catching chill out, predominantly green space was a thoughtful addition. But the prop that caught my attention was the intricate set-up for the shower scene. Masterfully implemented by prop designer Chloe Greaves, one box converted to a shower head while another became a shallow shower stall.
Jessica Dunn’s soundscape complimented the overall production with its calm, serene tones juxtaposed against a jarring cacophony of sounds.
Kudos to the performers for taking on the enormity of their respective roles. They have my respect and admiration for finding a method to desensitising themselves from this emotionally charged subject which they so eloquently laid bare.
Three emerging writers from indelabilityarts were responsible for bringing SHE (an acronym for See Us Hear Us Engage with Us) to the stage. The trio, Nici Morey, Karen Lee Roberts and Bianca Saez have developed a gut-wrenching script based on real, everyday people’s stories involving mental health issues. Eight hundred anonymous submissions were received. Every submission centred on each person’s experience with mental health and its resulting trauma.
SHE is an evocative rollercoaster ride of emotions where the dark, the neutral and the light share the stage equally just like in real life. SHE is at once unsettling, discomforting, provocative, engaging, seamlessly invoking a plethora of emotions ranging from anger to serenity, from dark to light, from pessimism to optimism but above all, from hopelessness to hope. SHE is brave enough to take a deep dive into women and their particular mental health issues.
This timely, no holds barred production shines a spotlight on the harsh realities of coping with mental health. The unapologetic and honest approach to maintaining the authenticity of these anonymous stories has resulted in a magnanimous script and nearly eight hundred stories delivered in eighty minutes!
According to the late songwriter Leonard Cohen, hope prevails because “There is a crack in everything, that’s how the light gets in.”
‘SHE’ plays at Metro Arts, West End until 13 May 2023.
