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THEATRE REVIEW: Play stirs up mental health talks

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By MARION MAINA
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When I saw the poster for the play, “Night, Mother” staged by Sanifu Productions and ACT Kenya, a wave of sadness washed over me.

The lone figure hunched at the edge of the bed. Frustrated, angry, bitter and tired. The despair was palpable and as I skimmed through the captions, mental health buzzwords jumped at me. Depression…sadness…suicide…help!

The play, written by Marsha Norman and winner of the 1983 Pulitzer Prize for Drama, is about a young woman called Jessie (Rachel Kostrna) who moves in with her widowed mother (Julisa Rowe) after her divorce.

The entire play takes place in one scene, unfolding the events of one evening; the evening Jessie discloses to her mother her plans kill herself.

Jessie (Rachel Kostrna) and her mother (Julisa Rowe)  share an emotional moment on stage during the play 'Night, mother' at the Kenya National Theatre.

Jessie (Rachel Kostrna) and her mother (Julisa Rowe) share an emotional moment on stage during the play ‘Night, mother’ at the Kenya National Theatre. PHOTO| MARION MAINA

Life has not been rosy for Jessie. She is epileptic, divorced and jobless, and every day feels worse than the day before. She is ready to put an end to her misery by taking her own life.

Her mother tries to talk her out of it and employs various techniques, including narrating fond memories of Jessie’s childhood. She points out that there would be no one to take care of her once Jessie is gone and even attempts to make a mean cup of hot chocolate with marshmallows, but this doesn’t help change Jessie’s mind.

On this very important evening, Jessie’s mother reveals many secrets she has kept from Jessie, in an effort to persuade her not to quit life.

Far from it, the secrets only strengthen Jessie’s resolve to end her now confirmed miserable life.

For instance, she is horrified to discover that she suffered epileptic fits all through her childhood.

She had been under the impression that her fits only began when she fell off a horse that her husband had convinced her to ride. She also learns that her ex-husband cheated on her with a random farm girl.

In-between the shocking discoveries and a mother’s earnest plea to a daughter who is hell-bent on killing herself, a lot of emotions and deep reflections reverberate from the stage throughout the packed auditorium.

Jessie's mother pleads with her to consider holding one a little longer instead of ending her life, in the play 'Night, mother' staged by ACT Kenya and Sanifu Productions.

Jessie’s mother pleads with her to consider holding one a little longer instead of ending her life, in the play ‘Night, mother’ staged by ACT Kenya and Sanifu Productions. PHOTO| MARION MAINA

EXCELLENT STAGE MANAGEMENT

The producers of the play did a commendable job with the stage setting, sound and lighting. The cast was dressed in comfortable nightwear perfect for a typical evening at home.

The props were well placed, for instance, we see Jessie refilling candy bags, cleaning out the fridge, writing reminder lists for her elderly mother and calling the store to place orders for fresh supplies, seeing that she does not intend to be around for much longer.

Stage management was excellent with the kitchen and dining area on one end of the stage and the living room on the far end.

The bedroom, where Jessie eventually shoots herself dead behind the locked door, was at the backstage.

The play was in English. And despite the sullen theme, there was a little humour that created the perfect emotional rollercoaster for the audience.

For instance, when Jessie’s mother asks her what is troubling her, Jessie says: “Everything between you, me and North Korea.”

Another time, Jessie asks her mother what the epileptic fits look like and she says: “You crumble down like a puppet as if someone cut all your strings at the same time and your eyes get this big,” she explains while gesturing.

Jessie and her mother take a trip down memory lane on their last evening together in the play 'Night, mother'.

Jessie and her mother take a trip down memory lane on their last evening together in the play ‘Night, mother’. PHOTO| MARION MAINA

The use of analogies further reinforces the theme for the play – depression and suicide. For instance, Jessie compares her life to a crowded stuffy bus and the only way to find relief is to get off the bus whether or not it has arrived at the destination.

What stood out for me in the play was learning that the cast were directing each other while on stage.

Their skills were exemplary, capturing all the intense emotions throughout the play from Jessie’s frustrations, anger, bitterness and resoluteness, to her mother’s despair, denial, guilt-tripping, threats, manipulation, determination, resilience, and, finally, acceptance.

Rachel Kostrna who plays Jessie, is a professional American actor and has performed in the Oregon Shakespeare Festival—the largest regional theatre in America; whereas Julisa Rowe has been acting and directing for more than 30 years in America, Kenya and across the globe.

Jessie remains adamant on her resolve to commit suicide despite her mother's pleading in the play 'Night, mother.'

Jessie remains adamant on her resolve to commit suicide despite her mother’s pleading in the play ‘Night, mother.’ The play was staged as a platform to raise awareness on mental illnesses such as depression and suicide. PHOTO| MARION MAINA

If you are a theatre fan like me, you know the drill; get your ticket, watch the play and once the cast takes a bow you give a round of applause and go home.

I was already gathering my bags when Mildred Sakina, a producer at Sanifu Productions, announced that a panel of mental health experts from Mental 360 and Amani Counselling Centre would help the audience synthesise the emotive play we had just watched.

A sigh of relief swept across the solemn auditorium; I bet everyone was grateful for a chance to unpack the emotions triggered by the gunshot sound emanating from Jessie’s room at the end of the play.

The experts talked about depression and suicidal tendencies and pointed out some of the tell-tale signs of someone suffering from mental illness.

Using the example of Jessie’s frustrations, including isolation from others because she hardly left the house, we were educated on what to look out for and how to support mentally ill patients.

The faces behind the phenomenal play, ' Night, Mother,' that was staged at the Kenya National Theatre by Sanifu Productions and ACT Kenya.

The faces behind the phenomenal play, ‘ Night, Mother,’ that was staged at the Kenya National Theatre by Sanifu Productions and ACT Kenya. PHOTO| MARION MAINA

We were cautioned, for instance, against asking a suicide survivor why they had attempted to take their lives.

In that forum, members of the audience contributed their views, questions, and a couple of them were bold enough to share their personal experiences as victims of mental illness. Additional information on mental health was handed out on fliers placed at the exit of the auditorium.

Mental illness is one of the issues today’s society is grappling with and although awareness is being raised by various organisations and experts, a lot still remains to be done.

One of the counsellors pointed out that in Kenya, there is a dire need to demystify counselling and debunk the myth that therapy is a preserve of the affluent in society or a western concept.

The play offered a great platform to fan the conversation around mental health and it would be great to have it staged once more.



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