I Am Seaweed review | Melbourne Fringe Festival | Theatre Works

It always seems like a badge of honour when someone asks you how you are and respond with "I am so busy". Working hard, learning a new craft, up-skilling, upselling, educating yourself. Constantly moving and doing. In I Am Seaweed, Cheryl Ho contemplates what it would feel like to just be and enjoy what is.

Sheryl with an S - played by Cheryl with a C – is a teacher who thinks that by being busy she will find satisfaction in life. By being like seaweed, something that expands under pressure, her super zestful positive attitude and her "Slay Everyday Era" mantra, she's sure she can.

While only a portion of the space at Theatre Woks is utilised, director Tan Hui Er keeps the full stage open and visible. The black, empty areas serve as a reminder of what Sheryl is trying to avoid as well as offering a visual representation of what's happening in her mind with her thoughts projected as images along the wall.

Lou Wall vs. The Internet review (Melbourne International Comedy Festival)

We all have that secret jealousy about a friend. You know, the one who is more successful than us, has more friends than us, has a better home than us. The one where everything seems to go their way. We all do. There's no point denying it, but we just don't talk about it. But Lou Wall is, and in Lou Wall vs. The Internet, they not only present a show about killing their arch nemesis, they even sing about it.

Wall endears themselves to the audience through their warm, funny, vulnerable and (in a good way) unhinged personality. Even when there's a slight tech issue at the beginning, the way that Wall remains within the realm of the show and engages with the crowd makes them even more delightful and relatable, and leaves you wondering if this is all part of the act...

Odd Sock review (Melbourne International Comedy Festival)

Within the first few minutes of claiming to have nothing left to sing about, Gabbi Bolt has already brought up gender, race, privilege, anxiety and a whole range of other issues and topics. But yet, she still feels like an odd sock, and with her new comedy show Odd Sock, she describes the various ways in which this manifests through music, singing and storytelling.  

Bolt covers a number of relatable topics, including the relationship and power dynamics between a dog and its owner, the perils of lusting after a celebrity obsession (and in the case of Bolt's pick, you really can't blame her), and the joys of working retail (spoiler alert, there aren't any). Each song consists of sharp, witty observations of not only the world around her but also about Bolt's own life.

I Hope My Keyboard Doesn't Break review (Melbourne International Comedy Festival)

Gabbi Bolt's I Hope My Keyboard Doesn't Break may be her first solo show but Bolt is no stranger to musical theatre (Ratatouille the TikTok Musical and Schapelle! Schapelle! The Musical) or to comedy (The Chaser). Bringing these two together for the Melbourne International Comedy Festival, Bolt sings her way through various worries and concerns she has about the world around her, like climate change, as well as issues that are of a more intimate nature, like whether she chooses to have children or not.

Bolt is extremely personable and relatable with her commentary. It never feels like she is simply going through a list of issues and ticking them off, but that each one actually means something to her, regardless of how important or impactful on the world it might be. She is one of those performers who can pack out a venue but is engaged with every single person there and gives the impression that she is speaking (and singing) to each individual in the room.

Kevin Peterson’s Stand Up Show review

Kevin Peterson is the new kid on the stand-up comedy block with his new show opening at The Butterfly Club. He's young, likeable and has the boy next door charm, but he's barely into his set when he is hit with a severe anxiety attack and becomes lost in his own distressing thoughts. Fortunately, this is not real life but the synopsis for Kevin Peterson’s Stand Up Show.

Written and directed by Max Paton, the show is a comedic and surreal look at what happens inside the mind of a man when he is struck with anxiety. Paton finds clever and intriguing ways in exploring Kevin's emotional and mental state and illustrates this brilliantly on stage. A constant highlight is seeing how the material from Kevin's stand-up routine, including "jokes" about Chris Hemsworth and platypus, is then referenced and used during his existential nightmare.

Mockingbird review

Giving birth and becoming a mother are supposed to be some of the most fulfilling and happiest moments of a woman's life. Except when it's not. Postnatal depression (PND) affect 1 in every 7 women who give birth and in Mockingbird, writer and performer Lisa Brickell places PND under the spotlight.

Through comedy, cabaret and mask play, Brickell weaves a tale that follows four generations of women from one family and how PND impacts each woman and the cruel and painful ways that it was treated and the stigma they had to endure. Our protagonist is Tina, a counsellor who is experiencing some anxieties about having children with her partner. Tina begins to share with us the stories of her great grandmother, grandmother and mother and how these events have come to play on her mind with regards to becoming a mother.

I'm Fine! - Melbourne Fringe Festival review

Sweaty palms, racing heart and a mind that just won't stop worrying. Welcome to the world of anxiety, or to be more specific: General Anxiety Disorder. Through a variety of songs, anecdotes and some unique storytelling, Lucy Gransbury's I'm Fine! is an enjoyable journey into the thought process and coping mechanisms of an anxiety sufferer through comedy.

Gransbury let's us know from the start that she has been seeing a psychologist to treat her anxiety and like all good psychological disorders, her anxiety seems to have stemmed from her childhood. She shares with us a notebook that she would write in from when she was 8 years old that includes a list of her wishes and also a list of people she wishes would die. She lets us in on a number of her teenage idiosyncrasies including one involving Ian Thorpe that thanks to Gransbury's ability to tell a story makes it sound much creepier and wrong than one would think - or maybe it's because I did something similar in my youth that the story itself doesn't sound so bizarre.

Accompanied on piano by Stacey-Louise Camilleri, Gransbury performs a number of well-known songs with re-written anxiety-focused lyrics. This includes the Spice Girls' "Wannabe" where what she really really really wants is to go back to bed and my personal favourite, The Sound of Music's "Do Re Mi" to list the number of ways she can be socially awkward and anxious. Her touching cover of Lucy Spraggan's "Tea & Toast" is well placed within the show and not only allows the audience a moment to stop and reflect on their own lives, but also for Gransbury to display her versatility as a singer.

fish review | Melba Spiegeltent

A fish is a cold-blooded animal with gills and fins that lives in water. Thanks to Rollercoaster Theatre Company a second definition can be added to this word: a fantastical soap opera about fear and anxiety. Rollercoaster Theatre is an ensemble of trained actors with intellectual disabilities from diverse backgrounds that work with a different director every 6 - 12 months. For fish, the company has teamed up with Maude Davey, so naturally the show ends up being a visually engaging piece of performance art with its various songs and dances throughout.

fish explores the varying degrees of fear and anxiety that people can have and it's not just about the people that live just down the road from you. These issues are looked at through a variety of people, including powerful political figures like Donald Grump, who despite his public bravado hides a vulnerability that is only exposed behind closed doors. The ensemble cast - David Baker, Michael Buxton, Shea MacDonough, Ryan New, Erin Pocervina, Melissa Slaviero, Cameron Stanley, and Andrew Tresidder - remain committed to their roles with a confidence that comes when an actor is sure of who their character is.

Monkey See, Monkey Do review | Melbourne International Comedy Festival | ACMI

Every now and again you come across a show that days later continues to linger on your mind, and to be perfectly honest, you wouldn't expect it to be from the Melbourne International Comedy Festival. However, Richard Gadd has done just that with Monkey See, Monkey Do, a comedic yet honest look at mental health and masculinity.

For six years Gadd has had a monkey on his back, filling his every thought with anxiety and worry. His attempts to outrun it lead to momentary reprieves but it always finds its way back. With this in mind, it makes perfect sense that the entirety of the show is spent with Gadd running on a treadmill as he tries to escape the monkey's grasp. It effectively creates the physical manifestation of the exhaustion and relentless nature of dealing with anxiety and depression.

The Resilience Project: Gratitude, Empathy and Mindfulness

My smile hides a lot. It hides my fear, my sadness, my loneliness and my anxiety. It hides the fact that I still feel like my life has had little accomplishment and always wondering when my break will come. When will I feel accepted? When will I feel loved? When will I be happy?

A year ago, I wrote about my (self-diagnosis of) depression after having watched Bryony Kimmings's "Fake It Till You Make It", and it was about then I started seeing a psychologist. While Dr C determined I did not have depression, he did diagnose me with severe general anxiety disorder. Great I thought, I've been diagnosed now I can get fixed. I saw Dr C fortnightly - sometimes weekly - for a year, and we would discuss different techniques and exercises I could do to manage my anxiety and while I always walked out of the session determined to do them, I never did.

Isolation Pod Floating

Entering Gravity Floatation Centre was almost like entering a different world. The waiting area is empty save for some chairs, a glass coffee table and some plants mounted on to the wall. There is some soft, calming music playing and as I wait to be called, and I start feeling nervous at the thought of being in a small pod in utter darkness and silence. Will the anxiety I often experience heighten? Will I have a panic attack in the pod? Will the lid get stuck and not open? I've seen Final Destination; death always finds a way. Before I can let my mind race any further (if that is even possible at this point), I am called. I enter the Endeavour room, all six rooms at the centre are identical, but they are named after 6 NASA space shuttles.

It's a private room with the pod and a shower. Earplugs, body soap, shampoo and towels are provided. The room temperature water and a highly concentrated Epsom salt solution (600kg of magnesium sulphate) are ready for me. The water is filtered and treated after every use and regularly tested by third parties. The pod has two buttons, a blue one to light up the pod in case I prefer it to the darkness, and a red one in case of emergency. I am also provided with a floating neck pillow and a spray bottle of water in case I get any of the Epsom salts in my eyes, which I'm thankful for after absent-mindedly having rubbed my eyes twice.

Intoxication review | Midsumma Festival | La Mama Theatre

I still remember the excitement in my house when we signed up for dial-up Internet. It brought a new world into my living room with just a tap of the keyboard and a click of the mouse. 17 years later, the technological advances we have made have brought this virtual world closer to us, but has it pushed us further away from the real world? Presented as part of the 2016 Midsumma Festival, Christopher Bryant’s Intoxication analyses and raises questions about how our reliance on social media, dating apps and smart phones are hindering us from building honest and meaningful relationships with actual people.

The three performers - Ryan Forbes, Amy Hack and Bryant – each sit on an individual cube and, as if they are in a confessional, share their anxieties with us. Even though there is barely, if any, interaction between the three during these moments, the thoughts and emotions shared are very similar, building on Bryant's idea that despite all having these insecurities and feelings of loneliness, we seem to push ourselves further away from reality and into the digital world, where we are free to project the life we wish we had and want the world (wide web) to see.

Faking it for 16 years

For 16 years, I have felt helpless, worthless, anxious, lonely and depressed. 16 years. That is literally half my life. It's a scary thought when I think about that. 16 years of virtually hiding who I am. This no doubt has affected my relationships with friends, family and boyfriends. There are constant feelings of life passing me by and there is constant disappointment about where my life has headed. 

I guess I have been fortunate that even though I have had suicidal thoughts, they have been far and few in between and I never realistically thought of going through with it. The closest I ever came was running a push pin up and down my arm till I bled. Just ended up looking like a cat had scratched me. This was during my late high school years and early university life and have since realised that that type of behaviour is not at all healthy and the faint scars on my arms remind me of this.