Hold Your Breath (Count to Ten)

Daley King, writer of Hold Your Breath (Count to Ten), has issues. Fed up with the inability of theatre to tackle some issues, he is determined to make a theatre piece that deals with his own emotional, mental and physical debilities.

This doesn’t sound like the most uplifting premise for a play, and regular theatre-goers have all seen sagas of the depressed or broken artist before, but Hold Your Breath (Count to Ten) has a wonderfully fresh approach and this World Premiere from Antifragile is thoroughly engaging from start to finish.

In this very personal piece of theatre, tightly directed by Susie Conte, Daley rebels against the idea of the tortured artist, and with a sounding board in the form of Amy Murray (a great supportive performance), he looks at how he should tell his story in a theatrical work. Diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder, Bipolar Disorder, Depression, Asthma and Sinus Issues, Daley looks at what it means to be Daley, and he bares himself to the audience, both emotionally and almost literally.

Sarah Chirichilli’s elegant black and white set design (including a gorgeous claw-foot bathtub integral to the presentation) is a lovely contrast to the themes, which are far from black and white. Scott McArdle’s bold lighting design adds to the emotion as does the occasionally unnerving sound design and composition by Joe Lui. Kudos to the Stage Manager Catherine O’Donoghue, as this production is somewhat of a stage manager’s nightmare. The pristine set that you see as you enter, ends rather as a mess.

Hold Your Breath (Count to Ten) is far from a mess as a production, despite the messiness of Daley King’s experiences. Intriguing, clever and fascinating, this is a thoughtful production that carries an important message. It is well worth a look.

Kimberley Shaw