Alexithymia

The opening of the third Poppy Seed Festival was dynamic and exhilarating.

This year the first production is Alexithymia. This is a beautifully polished piece of Theatre that is presented in the round in the neat small Theatre/multi purpose space The Stables at the far west end of the Meat Market in North Melbourne.

The Wikipedia definition of Alexithymia is:  Alexithymia/ˌeɪlɛksəˈθaɪmiə/ is a personality construct characterized by the subclinical inability to identify and describe emotions in the self. The core characteristics of alexithymia are marked dysfunction in emotional awareness, social attachment, and interpersonal relating.

On first consideration I thought mmm, this is challenging and brave subject matter, however, through watching the production I got a sense of a condition we all experience in life - particularly during adolescence and other times of change that render us disorientated and confused.  However, through this induced empathetic response I don’t want to belittle the difficulties experienced by individuals dealing with the anomalies of not being able to read their own and other’s emotional states in a normalized way - and respond accordingly.

There are three parts to this show, all written by Tom Middleditch, directed with flair by and Jayde Kirchert and performed with exemplary timing by Emma Hoy, Eagan Vaskess and Nicola Bowman.

All three young actors serve the work most agreeably.  Firstly Ms. Bowman shares with the audience her mildly autistic perceptions about a job interview in Social_finction.exe.  This particular work is succinct, acute, pointed, very funny and relatable to, and the most successful of the three pieces of writing. 

Then the audience is treated to a sort of interactive game show, The Curious Case of You, that has some marvelously surprising and funny moments but does start to feel slightly repetitive towards the conclusion. 

Nirvana Syndrome, the third segment, loses gravitas by the relentless interjection of superficial sound at every small scene change. At its heart this is a sensitive piece of writing that shines a perceptive light on the confused emotional states experienced during relationship breakdowns.  As with The Curious Case of You, the text could possibly do with a little more fine-tuning.

A lively light, well-realized, slick contemporary work that is certainly worth catching.   Don’t hesitate to support this festival and its many very talented theatre makers.

Suzanne Sandow

Credits

Writer and co-producer - Tom Middleditch

Director and co-producer - Jayde Kirchert

Visual designer and co-producer - Stu Brown

Dramaturge - James Matthews

Sound designer - Philip Dallas

Lighting Designer - Peter Amesbury

Performers - Nicola Bowman, Keagan Vaskess and Emma Hoy

Photographer:Pippa Samaya