Hysterical: Are you enough?

A hallmark of our show Hysterical is the audience journal entries that are used as inspiration for our performers.

When Eleanor submitted hers for our show at the New Zealand Improv Festival last year, she did not expect it to get selected. But with the chosen journals for the night picked at random by members of the audience, the chances were left up to the fates.

After the show, Eleanor shared her thoughts with us of what it was like to hear her own journal entry read and to watch what unfolded on stage…

“It’s an almost indescribable feeling to watch people create a narrative from your innermost thoughts in public. Although no-one (not even the cast) knew I was the author, I still had a deep-rooted need to feel validated.

Watching it was like the opposite of a Black Mirror episode, where instead of seeing humanity’s darkness amplified, it was like viewing a highly exposed self-portrait where all you see is the light.

Watching it made me better understand where my feelings of inadequacy stemmed from and that actually I am enough. Everyone is enough.

Far from feeling misrepresented, I felt truly understood. I felt seen and found it to be a healing experience.

The cast created characters with such depth and complexity that left such an impression on me that I can still remember them in acute detail weeks later. It’s astounding that these stories were made up on the spot. They were handled with respect and sensitivity and dramatised to the point where they felt as truthful and real as the journal entries.

As an improviser, it was inspiring to see how much depth, clarity and audience engagement can come from playing stories not for laughs (although there were plenty) but for truth and recognition. The show is a masterclass in storytelling and how to navigate the complexities of culture and identity wars without being patronising or pushing an agenda. This show was a bold, heartbreaking and heartwarming truthful reflection of women’s lives now.”

This is exactly what we wanted to achieve with the show and we were so pleased Eleanor felt we honoured her voice.

If you’d like to see what magic might be made of your old journal entries, come along to Hysterical | Anywhere Festival on Sun 4 August 2024 at The Paint Factory Yeronga. Tickets are available now from anywhere.is/event/hysterical

PRAISE FOR HYSTERICAL

The following are extracts from show reviews of Hysterical’s performance at the New Zealand Anywhere Festival (performed under the title, A Bit Dramatic).

Eleanor Collins, ellebell, NZ:

“A bold, heartbreaking, heartwarming and truthful reflection of women’s lives now.”

“It’s astounding that these stories were made up on the spot.”

“… the cast created characters with such depth and complexity that left such an impression… [The stories] were handled with respect and sensitivity and dramatized to the point where they felt as truthful and real as the journal entries.”

“A masterclass in storytelling and how to navigate the complexities of culture and identity wars without being patronising or pushing an agenda.”

Ciarán Searle, Wellingtonista, NZ:

“…it feels quite voyeuristic to hear the innermost thoughts of what we know is a real person sitting amongst us.”

“It is very clear to see the trust and experience between the players as they push against the focal characters, reinforcing their self-doubts and insecurities.”

“Each relationship is played to highlight its complexity – there is bad with the good, and good with the bad. The emotive performances read as genuine and some real tears are shed. The human stories that we are invited into resonate for performers and audience alike. Ultimately, though, these stories are hopeful.”

Margaret Austin, Theatre View, NZ:

“…here is content usually presented in a scripted work of some weightiness.”

“…scenarios sympathetic to women and the labelling they can suffer from, and which can hold them back, marring both self-image and relationships.”

Thalia Kehoe Rowden, Wellingtonista, NZ:

“The combination of genuine journals and fictional imaginings really works, and gives extra dimension to the stories.”

“it’s great to see women’s ordinary stories centred in the show, and to have such skilled improvisers explore the gendered subtleties of how we see ourselves and each other.”