1. Why do you think that this play will resonate for today’s audiences? Why this play
and why now?
This is a play that is still very relevant to my life and speaks to themes that are
relevant to so, so, so many people who live with invisible illnesses (specifically
mental ill health). While writing dog, I wanted to add to the conversation around
addiction and mental ill health, specifically the stigma and misconceptions around
Obsessive Compulsive Disorder. There are not many mediums that speak to, or
give voice to, mental ill health and I have personally never seen a play that
depicts OCD… so I wrote one.
It was through developing this play, and speaking with mental health
professionals about OCD in connection to the script, that I found out OCD can be
classified as an invisible disability. So this play has been an opportunity for huge
discovery about myself and my mental health… which got me thinking about all
of the people in Australia (and around the world) who live with OCD… and so I
wanted to do my part to represent OCD in the realest/rawest way possible –
which is live theatre.
2. What has drawn you to tell this story via live theatre experience?
I wanted to make mental ill health ‘accessible’ to people who don’t live with
mental ill health. A way of witnessing Obsessive Compulsive Disorder and
alcohol addiction in real-time… Theatre allows for the authenticity of these
circumstances and has a feeling of immediacy and vulnerability… and, at the
same time it is settled in a sense of safety because while the content could be
confronting, the audience knows that it is a performance.
3. How much have you been involved in the rehearsal room? Can you tell us
something about how that has been?
I have only been to a handful of rehearsals and the thing I love about being in the
room is that I get to see what the play inspires in other creatives. Especially, how
they navigate the world of it; how they visualise it, the textures of things and what
the world sounds like to them. I like that it gets to be more than my brain. And
that I get to let it go and just enjoy watching other people create.
I say I have only been to a handful of rehearsals but I do sometimes just go with
my laptop and a to-do list just to leech off the creative energy. I get so many
tasks done.
4. Tell me about the title
I do acknowledge that because of the themes in the play (mental health), one
could associate a greater meaning of the word ‘dog’.
But, the title is actually a reference to the colloquial ‘dog’. Like, how an object can
be a ‘dog’ if it doesn’t function the way it is supposed to – ”this cheese grater is a
dog of a thing”. ‘Dog’ is very much the world of the play.
So there is that. But also, my dog also passed away while I was writing this play
and I wanted to give something to her. Using her name wouldn’t have made
much sense so I went with what would and that is dog.
5. Who is your target audience? Who do you want to see this play?
I have in mind an audience that doesn’t have lived experience of mental ill health
or addiction. I wanted to create a witnessing of OCD in a way that audiences
would otherwise have never been able to witness. OCD can be a totally invisible
illness (even if it manifests in physical action) and because of this, it can feel so
incredibly isolating and come with so much shame. I have written dog to kind
of… ‘expose’ OCD and what it is really like (from the perspective of my lived
experience)…. hopefully, this helps in removing some stigma and misconceptions
around OCD.
If people who have lived alongside mental ill health or addiction come along to
the show, I hope that the play is a cathartic experience. A piece of something that
made them feel less alone in their own experiences. I don’t want the show to be
triggering for anyone so I will take this opportunity to say that the play does
depict contamination OCD very explicitly. Please keep that in mind when deciding
if you’d like to come and see the show.
6. Has this experience encouraged you to want to write another play?
Absolutely yes. I could write endlessly about mental health, queerness, family
dynamics and small-town things.
7. Where can audiences see the play if they wish to?
I would like to plug that we do have two post-show panels after each Sunday
performance of dog that I would like to plug. On Sunday 26th May we have a
post-show panel on ‘The Misconceptions Around OCD, Mental Health and
Invisible Disabilities’ with support from the Mental Health Commission NSW,
Invisible Disabilities Australia and Batyr Australia. I’m particularly excited to hear
Tim Heffernan, the Deputy Commissioner of the Mental Health Commission NSW
speak.
On Sunday 2nd June we have a post-show panel, ‘Men’s Share Night: The
Importance of Acknowledging Mental Health and Addiction and How to Get Help’.
This panel is with support from Sydney University’s Matilda Centre, Acon NSW
Suicide Prevention Team and the Sydney Local Health District Alcohol and Drugs
Service.
We decided to host these panels post-performance because it is a way for
audience members to receive more insight and understanding into addiction and
OCD. It is also a show that will start conversation and we wanted a time/place to
offer a space for those conversations to be started safely and without judgement.
DOG at KXT on Broadway is on from May 24 – June 8.
If you would like to read more about the show or buy tickets, you can find all the information here:
