Showing @ Summerhall, Edinburgh until Sun 24 Aug (not 8, 9 ,10, 18) @ 12:00
The Eradication of Schizophrenia in Western Lapland has a big title and the play tackles a big and important subject area. In fact the audience is witness to two plays, not one, that explore the chaos, tragic and mundane nature of Schizophrenia.
Ridiculusmus Theatre Company present the audience with a stage that is split in two, with one performance either side of a what appears to be a domestic setting. On one side is a quarrelling family and on the other a nurse recounts the symptoms of mental illness. While one performance is staged in the foreground the other carries on in the background. Initially this is distracting as dialogue overlaps making it difficult to follow, however as the performance progresses the two stories intertwine and present an ‘Open Dialogue’ between the characters. This ‘Open Dialogue’ was a therapeutic method used in Finnish Western Lapland to eradicate schizophrenia from the area.
Being only able to fully witness one of the two plays is frustrating until half way through the performance stops and the audience is asked to change sides and we see the second story replayed. The performance continues, reaching an abrupt and unsatisfying conclusion. This dissatisfaction is somewhat fitting considering the experimental and atypical nature of the performance. Overall The Eradication of Schizophrenia in Western Lapland is an important and intriguing piece of theatre that keeps the audience hooked with a unique and novel take on the subject of schizophrenia.