A new musical exploring mental health issues and recovery following child sexual abuse will receive its London premiere this autumn. Dissociated, written by psychotherapist Dave Bain and produced by Skitzoid Productions, runs at the Etcetera Theatre in Camden for two weeks only from 15 to 26 October 2019. Time to get booking!
Alex is a twenty-seven-year-old surgical student in her last year of training, whose life seems to be on an upward trajectory. Her career is about to take off, she is getting married and she has finally learned to spell the word “Dyscopia” (a common surgical term).
However, as her shift work increases, her sleep becomes disrupted. To cope, she takes Zopiclone (a sleeping pill), but her situation worsens and she starts to have panic attacks. When her grandmother dies, her crisis reaches a tipping point. In Dissociated, the audience join Alex in her dreams, accompanying her at different stages of her life through her unconscious.
During this journey, Alex meets six different versions of herself (called Annies), drawn from her past, present and future. However, each version’s memories are incomplete, so Alex and her Annies have to work out how to piece them back together. Can Alex reconnect with her memories, confront her demons and move towards recovery and healing?
Dissociated explores the recovery process of an adult, female survivor of child sexual abuse (CSA). It is estimated that, sadly, one in four children experience some form of abuse. Dave Bain, the writer of the musical and founder of Skitzoid Productions, commented:
“As a psychotherapist, I’ve worked with survivors for over ten years. Child sexual abuse is not an easy subject to address, but by locating this play in our protagonist’s dreams, we can bring a humour, warmth and playfulness to the material, which stops it feeling too overwhelming for audiences.”
Dissociated features ten original songs by Bain, with choreography devised by Eloise Jones, who also plays Alex alongside newcomer and recent Performance Preparation Academy graduate Georgia Imrie as Annie. Jones added: “It’s a privilege to work on this production. The script’s playfulness is juxtaposed with sensitivity, thereby keeping the audience engaged throughout. The score and choreography have been created from a place of empathy, allowing us to explore Alex’s life with truth, compassion and understanding.”
One in Four
The forthcoming London season has the backing of One In Four, a charity that supports survivors of child sexual abuse. Linda Dominguez, the director of One In Four said: “We’re proud to be supporting Dissociated across its October run. One in Four has supported survivors for almost twenty years, so we’re very aware of the difficulties and challenges our clients face on a day to day basis. Dissociated invites the audience into this space without it feeling too overwhelming. It’s a fun, creative piece of work and we hope it can help bring these issues into a wider public consciousness.”
Show trailer
Bios
Skitzoid
Dave Bain has been writing, directing and performing for over twenty years. For the last ten years, he has also been working in the support sector, and his more recent work draws on these experiences. Dissociated follows Skitzoid’s premiere last year of his musical Game Over.
Eloise Jones trained at Bird College and enjoys working across the board in musical theatre and dance through to plays and Greek theatre. She previously worked with Skitzoid Productions on Game Over. Her recent credits include Macbeth, The Musical and #TheProjectPlay.
Dissociated is suitable for audiences aged 18+. It features adult themes around mental health and trauma.
