Surfacing
(inc. £1.50 ticket levy)
Show Bio
From the director of The Real and Imagined History of the Elephant Man.
NHS therapist Luc is fine. Honest. She’s definitely not overwhelmed by meeting Owen, a new client, definitely not freaked out by what she’s started seeing, definitely doesn’t think her reality has been punctured and something else is leaking in. Luc goes for a swim and feels a hand dragging her down to the bottom of the lake…
When she surfaces, her reality is different. She’s haunted by tormented mice, shape-shifting shadows and secrets she thought she’d buried. As she hunts for Owen through this upside down world she comes closer to her past and the truth she’s desperately hidden.
With innovative creative captioning and haunting music, Papatango Winner Tom Powell’s breath-taking new two-hander examines neurodivergence, hallucinations, and the state of mental health care. The production uses new motion sensor technology to create responsive light and sound, evoking the lived experience of disassociation.
Videos
Studio Event
Please note that this performance takes place in our smaller Studio Theatre. If it’s your first visit or you are unfamiliar with the Mercury building, you can find out more about our spaces here.
Cast
Sarah Livingstone
Luc
she/her
Sarah is a University of Cambridge and Bristol Old Vic Theatre School graduate. Recent theatre credits include: Splinter, the Brockley Jack; Twelfth Night, The Living Theatre; Henry V, New Generations Festival; Iceland, The Wardrobe Theatre; Julius Caesar, Bristol Old Vic; Silent Meat, Pleasance Theatre.
Jerome Yates
Owen
Jerome Yates
Owen
he/him
Jerome trained at LAMDA.
Theatre credits includes: DRIFTWOOD (Pentabus Theatre), Peter Pan and the Battle for Neverland (Ruined Theatre).
Film credits includes: The Children (Black House Pictures)
Creatives
Stephen Bailey – Director
Tom Powell – Writer
Tamasin Cook – Stage Manager
Abi Turner – Lighting Designer
Ben Glover – Video and Caption Designer
Victoria Maytom – Designer
Phoebe Chan – Associate Designer
David Denyer – Composer/Sound Designer
Joe Dines – Associate Sound
Alistair Wilkinson – Production Support
Sammy Trotman – Marketing
Dr Jasmine Martinez – NHS Talking Therapies Consultant
Dr Ruth Cooper – Research Consultant
Reviews
“This steadily-paced and fascinating play provides much food for thought.”
- LondonTheatre1
“There is an individuality and complexity to one’s mental illnesses… Surfacing isn’t afraid to express the beauty behind such a scenario, however controversial that may be.”
- Liam O'Dell
“Surfacing is an intelligent piece of writing, approaching the subject from a different angle.”
- Theatreweekly
“Fearless in its attempt to broach the subject of mental health and using non-naturalistic techniques to denote the universal susceptibility of self-doubt.”
- Breaking the Fourth Wall
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