Eight different stories. Each coming from a different experience, with different challenges, and all of which have been impacted by mental health in their own way.
Fragments is written by award-winning Canberra-based author and playwright, Maura Pierlot, and is based on a series of conversations she had with young people aged 13 to 18 in Canberra and beyond.
The interwoven monologues that comprise Fragments are imagined stories that touch upon common issues facing teens today.
Presented at The Street later this month in conjunction with Mental Health Month ACT, Fragments reveals powerful stories about young people balancing emotional, mental and physical situations as they navigate their way through adolescence and secondary school.
The productionโs ensemble cast features Damon Baudin and Linda Chen amongst six other young, emerging Canberra actors, giving voice to a diverse assortment of young people.
Baudin says his character Nicky, a transgender female, is one of the most challenging roles heโs ever taken on.
โShe knows who she is, but itโs very much about the outside pressure of the world on her, and itโs time to make those finals steps.
โI was very hesitant, I wanted to get it right โฆ itโs going to be a challenge โฆ given that itโs such sensitive material as well, but I feel very confident with the whole team at The Street.
โIโm terrified, but looking forward to it at the same time, and I think itโs all coming together.โ
Chen says the open, collaborative process of rehearsing with a new work, especially with the writer Pierlot present, is an exciting process of tweaking the script and their performances accordingly.
โI always love working with new pieces and new work, thereโs always such an exciting discovery process,โ she says.
โAnd then being able to work with the person who originated those ideas, itโs always a privilege, and kind of daunting. You take on a bigger sense of responsibility because theyโre there in the room.โ
โThe cool thing about a text in development, itโs a living, breathing thing still, we donโt just have to bring it to life as actors, they see something on the floor and will rejig it,โ Baudin adds.
Director Shelly Higgs says the open collaborative rehearsal process allows everyone to bring something to the table.
โItโs been about collaborating, allowing them to explore and find it as a group so that it makes sense to everyone,โ she says.
According to Higgs, the whole show deals with the outward public brave face mentality juxtaposed against the internal, private suffering that many with mental health issues face.
โThey all have different things, theyโre united by the fact they feel alone, so actually the whole play is about a search for connection.
โItโs also that โwell no-one else could be feeling what Iโm feelingโ, whereas really if they just look around they realise that other people are dealing with stuff too,โ she says.
Higgs says the work, at its core, is a journey of disconnection to connection.
โFragments is a great name for it because thereโs this idea of being a piece or of not being a whole person, and missing something, but I think what theyโre actually all missing is connection,โ she says.
Given the universality of its subject matter, and the relatability in regard to the spectrum of mental health issues being explored, Higgs says everyone could benefit from seeing this work.
โYoung people, just seeing that other people might be feeling the same things that they do, like anxiety โฆ having all these fears, especially in todayโs world, kids are besides themselves.
โMental illness is still stigmatised, so itโs really important that people see these stories, because theyโll act as an avenue for them toward better understanding.โ
Fragments will be performed at The Street Theatre, City West, 23-27 October; thestreet.org.au
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