Developed by Zack Burton & Elisa Hofmeister
Directed by Gaye Poole
Produced by Carving In Ice Theatre
The Meteor, 19-23 September 2023
Content Warning: Contains sensitive content touching on Mental Illness, Unwellness, and Suicide.
The Manic Monologues premiered in New Zealand last night to a full house at The Meteor. That is a great feat given it was a Tuesday in winter, and the play’s tagline was “true stories of mental illness to disrupt stigma.” Carving in Ice Theatre had selected this work to further conversations during Mental Health Awareness Week.
Director Gaye Poole gave some opening remarks explaining that mental health resources were available in the Nancy Caiger Gallery, as were counsellors should anyone wish to start a dialogue. The back of the programme listed agencies and helpline numbers. These inclusions showed Poole’s preparedness for the production.
Monologues are like a box of chocolates, you never know what you’re going to get. Each of the 22 monologues touched on elements of mental health including depression, bipolar, anxiety, PTSD and more. The length of the monologue varied from a minute to more substantial pieces up to ten minutes, all with interesting and varied resolutions.
A routine for the play was established early providing a sense of ease for the audience. The house lights remained on but dimmed. Each actor entered from stage right and exited stage left. Props were few and aside from a table being brought on occasionally, the set was sparse. This allowed for the focus to be purely on storytelling. There were no issues with voice projection or diction.
The Manic Monologues was performed by 19 diverse actors. Scattered throughout were thought-provoking lines “I am not my thoughts, nobody can hear my thoughts, don’t trust my thoughts” delivered by Antony Aiono, “Who am I? Who Am I? Who am I?” delivered by Georgia Pollock, and “Sanity was boring, being manic was much more fun” delivered by Missy Mooney.
Perhaps opening night nerves had tempered some of the performances. The envelope could have been pushed further heightening conflict and conveying more emotion. Alternatively, maybe it was a conscious choice not to put the audience through the spinner and wring them out.
The benchmark of a good monologue is being convinced you are hearing someone tell their own story in their own words. Several of the cast achieved this due to their physicality, delivery and emotion. Mandy Faulkner with “Tardive Dyskinesia”, Janine Swainson with “The Goldberg Mania Questionnaire”, and Missy Mooney with “Bipolar Boyfriend” were very effective in this respect.
Yurika Arai and “Seeing Spirits” was hauntingly beautiful. Her delivery and vulnerability was exquisite and a highlight of the evening. Arai’s performance alone is worth the ticket price.
In a week where people are encouraged to korero about mental health, Carving in Ice’s The Manic Monologues demonstrates that mental health issues are as varied as the communities in which we live. The Manic Monologues has a content warning, but Poole’s gentle guidance has produced a work that is delivered in an environment that is safe and supportive.
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