I walked into the theatre, wondering what I would find. This was the very edge of the London fringe, the Pleasance Theatre, a small but very interesting venue. "Return to Silence" is a multi-award winning 'fire-cracker' of a devised performance piece weaving dance, live video and piano score. To summarise, when neurologist Dr.Jill Bolte Taylor wakes up one morning and realises she is suffering from a stroke, she is given the extraordinary opportunity to study her own brain from the inside. As she revisits old case studies her perception of the world changes irreversibly. As an interactive piece of theatre, the audience are wheeled around the auditorium, they are given glimpses of the mystery and beauty of the human brain.
As we were waiting for the performance to start, I noticed that there were two people writing on the back of the wagon or truck that my seat was on. I was curious about what they were doing but assumed that I would find out in good time.
What I was unprepared for was the emotion that this piece would draw out of me. The main character discusses and explains how it appears from the inside when having a stroke. She asks whether this is her 'moment of transition' and she realises that she is no longer in control of the choreography of her life.
We are given abridged versions of the definitions of various neurological medical conditions, such as Parkinsons and Periodic Limb Movement Disorder, to name but a couple. A few years ago, I experienced the process of Parkinsons when a dear family friend went through, eventually dying about 18 months ago. But more recently, I listened to DC talk about his mother and her many strokes. Watching Return to Silence has given me some small insight into what she might be experiencing. A clever use of the human voice made for some amazing sound effects, while the use of movement, along with the piano made for an emotionally charged hour, leaving me with tears stinging my eyes.
We are given abridged versions of the definitions of various neurological medical conditions, such as Parkinsons and Periodic Limb Movement Disorder, to name but a couple. A few years ago, I experienced the process of Parkinsons when a dear family friend went through, eventually dying about 18 months ago. But more recently, I listened to DC talk about his mother and her many strokes. Watching Return to Silence has given me some small insight into what she might be experiencing. A clever use of the human voice made for some amazing sound effects, while the use of movement, along with the piano made for an emotionally charged hour, leaving me with tears stinging my eyes.
It was absolutely brilliant and left me meandering through my many residual thoughts.
This was the very final performance - wow!
This was the very final performance - wow!
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