The Art of Dissociation
Ben McDonald
The Godber Studio
Hull Truck Theatre
21 October 2022
Ordinarily Review Culture does not cover live arts across the river, as Hull has its own very active arts scene following its position as City of Culture in 2017 and really doesn't need the lift that Review Culture is designed to give to work across Lincolnshire . However, we have made an exception for this new writing from playwright Ben McDonald. McDonald is active in the arts across NE Lincolnshire. Given these facts, it was decided that we should accept an invitation to review this play at its dress rehearsal, at Hull Truck Theatre in the intimate Godber Studio space.
This new drama is a difficult and challenging piece of work. It has been developed as the result of R&D work funded by Arts Council England and others, allowing McDonald the time and the money to develop the piece. He has managed to attract a great deal of interest in the work in progress and had a number of producers and programmers from across UK theatres willing to attend the official evening showing, among a sold-out audience.
The play comes with trigger warnings as it deals with some very disturbing themes of abuse and trauma. The Art of Dissociation is a breathtaking piece of new writing: a contemporary psychological drama exploring trauma and dissociation through stylised performance, physical theatre, and visual art. According to NHS online, "Dissociative identity disorder (DID) used to be called multiple personality disorder. Someone diagnosed with DID may feel uncertain about their identity and who they are. They may feel the presence of other identities, each with their own names, voices, personal histories and mannerisms."
The whole performance plays with form, from Brechtian costume changes to breaking the fourth wall in ways that Fleabag would never dream. McDonald challenges his audience to question what is real within the production and what is artifice. The stage crew sit neutrally but visible to the rear of the stage throughout and only come on when required to change set and/or props. The brain quickly tells you to ignore their presence as they form no part of the narrative and can be treated as if invisible.
The cast of two introduce themselves as actors and subsequently as their characters. Rachel Fishwick is playing Laura and multi-roleplaying other characters. Jordan Hebdon explains that he is playing a character NAMED Jordan who suffers from dissociative identity disorder and perceives himself as a multiplicity of personalities within the same body.
An assault is played out as a dance/creation of a new work of art to be admired, as Amy (a shared personality) does, post-assault. This offers the audience the chance to distance themselves from the violence that takes place before them but loses none of its weight or impact in doing so. The scene that follows is uncomfortably long and tests the audience's patience powerfully (and deliberately) asking them to question what they are seeing played out upon the stage.
The play begins pretty comfortably with its protagonist, Jordan, singing to guitar accompaniment and segues into Laura singing the same song at a bar to earn a bit of cash between acting jobs, though she is about to audition for an all-female version of Hamlet and we see and hear her rendition of a speech from Shakespeare as she prepares. Their introduction leads to drinks and the two become close with Laura learning to trust again after escaping a prior relationship with a controlling boyfriend.
Everything is going swimingly and the two seem well-matched, until a chance remark about her director touching her inappropriately from Laura triggers Jordan, who turns on a sixpence to reveal Dave. Dave is another of the personalities hidden within Jordan and Dave is violent in an overtly protective way. It is the first sign that the relationship cannot last as Laura becomes terrified by the unexpected switch even though Jordan desperately tries to explain as Dave takes over.
It is here that the play makes a very sharp and very dark turn, as McDonald uses his skill to show that Dave and Jordan are only two of the personalities who exist within this body. There is also a brave and funny little boy, obsessed with superheroes called Luke, an urbane art enthusiast and ultimately his real birth identity hidden beneath repressed memories and trauma. Hebdon affects the changes in personality through subtle and often miniscule gestures and motions and the shifting emotion is written across his face as tears form in his eyes.
The acting was superb. With only two cast members, this is an epic undertaking to perform. Fishwick played strength and vulnerability so convincingly as she drifted from role to role. Laura is an optimist with trust issues, Her take on the therapist is kindly but probing and as the mother, she shows none of the maternal instincts one might expect to see until her child is threatened. It is a moving performance to say the least.
Hebdon made each of his personalities clear and distinct with shifts in tone, voice and body language and seemed to physically morph into each persona effortlessly. He is able to evoke sympathy for his situation despite the consequences of his actions. Questions are posed about whether this condition is real or is merely an act to avoid legal liability for his actions. We never know if he is genuinely suffering from dissociative identity disorder or simply faking it. It is for each individual to form their own opinion here. Needless to say opinions will differ. For what its worth, I felt that this young man's condition was genuine.
The play raises more questions than it can ever truly answer, yet is deeply affecting its plot and themes have remained with me since viewing the piece earlier today. There was a small, specially invited audience consisting of a handful of people for the dress rehearsal. At the play's conclusion they sat in silence seeking to process what they had seen and learned through this work. Painful memories of childhood abuse is a minefield and McDonald does well with the script. The play, rightly, carries an age restriction and content warnings which audiences would be well advised to heed. There was also literature provided by MIND for those who may feel affected by the content.
It will be interesting to see if this piece finds a home as a result of this presentation, and how it will change and develop as a result of feedback from tonight's audience. I look forward to seeing what comes next for the team and this production.
Andy Evans 21 October 2022
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