CoAct Productions debuted last year with The Sideshow, an intimate two-hander set in the world of circus arts in the 1930’s. (Check our review.) That show charmed audiences with its performances and attention to detail, and now the company is mounting their second show.
Welcome To Respite is the first part of a planned three-part series THE SEVERANCE THEORY, which pushes the company into a more experiential mode. Audience members are cast in the role of Alex, who suffers from Dissociative Identity Disorder.
NoPro’s Kevin Gossett checked in with the team at CoAct — Lyndsie Scoggin (Producer/Creative Director), Danielle Levesque (Producer/ Art Director) and Payden Ackerman (Producer/Writer/Performer) — for this interview.
Note: This interview has been edited for clarity.
No Proscenium: What is The Severance Theory?
Lyndsie Scoggin: THE SEVERANCE THEORY is an experiential gateway into the mind of those suffering from a beguiling psychological phenomenon- Dissociative Identity Disorder (DID). It is a four-part series that allows audiences to step into the shoes of the disordered. Formerly known as Multiple Personality Disorder, DID is often misunderstood. Our goal is to present an experience and story that is fascinating, educational, promotes empathy, and also highlights how beautiful and complex the human mind really is!
This story is told through the lens of Alex, who is the main character and host of the personality system. Participants will get to experience some of the symptomatic elements of the disorder, but more importantly, this is a story of self-healing and growth.
What I find particularly interesting about DID is the interaction and relationships between the personalities within The System (alters). Each of them play an important role and work together to get to a place of healing. It’s really very astonishing.
NP: Why are you interested in telling this story now?
Payden Ackerman: According to the World Health Organization, mental disorders affect one in four people. That’s huge. It’s literally a global epidemic. As artists, we work to illuminate the human experience. But I think we have a responsibility to investigate and present diverse human experiences; by examining mental illness, we’ve the opportunity to increase awareness and empathy for those one in four suffering. That’s why I want to tell this story.
NP: Why did you create this experience? What inspired you?
PA: As a creative who suffers from depression, my heart breaks for others who are touched by mental illness. I trust in the power of theatre, and immersive theatre especially, to generate empathy. I want audiences to step into the shoes of someone hurting. I want them to experience the peaks and valleys of living with disorder. I want them to journey through a survivor’s life. And I want them to have an experience of being healed. All the while enjoying a kickass one-of-a-kind production.
NP: Telling a story about psychological trauma and mental illness can be a touchy subject. How are you navigating those ideas and themes?
LS: Yes, it is true that mental illness can be a very touchy subject, especially when it is stigmatized so much. Dissociative Identity Disorder in particular is very misunderstood. Most of us have little to no exposure to such a complex disorder, and our lack of knowledge can make it seem rather scary or unapproachable. THE SEVERANCE THEORY takes a much more empathetic approach. We want people to walk away feeling like they have some understanding of what those with a mental illness have experienced- as well as be able to relate to some of the circumstances. The story of Alex is so much more about healing than dysfunction. We have discovered that there is something beautiful about how the human mind protects, nurtures, and ultimately heals itself. That’s the story we want to share with you.
NP: Why did you decide to tell this story in four parts? Can you tell us a little about the first part, Welcome to Respite?
Danielle Levesque: We decided on the series format for a couple of different reasons. First, after learning more about Dissociative Identity Disorder, it became clear that this is a disorder that progresses over a period of time, and we liked the idea of the audience exploring the progression over real time, with each chapter transporting Alex back to a memory from their past that triggered an advance in symptoms. But also, from a producorial point of view, we were looking for a project where we could lure audiences deeper and deeper into our world- then present them with a big and exciting finale. The fourth and final chapter will be the climax of our narrative- tying all the memories together into one large experience.
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Welcome to Respite is the first of 3 memories covering a significant period of Alex’s life that is now being revisited in order to — hopefully — start the process of healing. This particular memory is of major importance; it marks the beginning of Alex’s symptoms after experiencing trauma. A warm and welcoming homecoming takes an interesting turn when we get a glimpse into Alex’s unique coping mechanisms.
NP: How is the audience incorporated into the work? What kinds of choices can the participants make?
DL: The audience member is Alex, the main character of our narrative and the host of the personality system. Everything in Respite is happening to Alex, is focused on Alex and their reaction to coming home after a long time away. Though this is a linear experience, the audience member is free to react and respond as they feel they would in the scenarios they will find themselves in. In doing so, this may even illicit a unique response from the show itself.
NP: This seems like quite a shift from The Sideshow, why the decision to go in this direction?
DL: The two shows are certainly tonally and contextually different, allowing us to push ourselves and expand our repertoire as creators. The Sideshow was an incredibly fulfilling production for us. We were able to create an environment that really transported the audience to a specific time and place, and envelope them in memories of love and conflict. With THE SEVERANCE THEORY, we are taking a deep dive into material that is by nature a bit darker and taboo, and focusing on exploring a fascinating psychological phenomenon that will force the audience into a scenario in which they will have to question what is real and what is in your mind. That all being said, there are many similarities between our previous and current shows. Both The Sideshow and Welcome to Respite work with the themes of love and second chances, and both use the structure of revisiting memories to tell a story to hopefully change the outcome of the story’s final conclusion. Lastly, they are both human stories set against a backdrop that most people never get to experience firsthand.
NP: How are you designing around audience agency, consent, and safety?
LS: Welcome to Respite is a guided experience. However, there are certainly moments of meaningful influence throughout the piece. You may find that your response, both verbal and non-verbal, will influence how the show then reacts to you.
Regarding consent, we know that by setting clear expectations and rules around the experience it allows for an understanding between participant and performer. We want to allow our audience to enjoy the experience which means understanding how to say “YES!” when you want more, but also if someone were to feel too uncomfortable and needs to move on from a scene, they will be armed with a mechanism to do so. Above all we want to create a safe space for participants to engage in.
THE SEVERANCE THEORY in particular requires us to focus on emotional safety. Mental health is certainly a sensitive topic and we are doing our best to be responsible around it. We have designed this show in such a way that there is somewhat of a support system built into the experience so that our audience members are being cared for.
NP: Who is the ideal audience member for this show?
PA: This show is for anyone who is fascinated by living out an experience they would never be able to have in their own lives. Especially those interested in psychology and intrigued by the human mind’s capacity to cope with trauma. Dissociative Identity Disorder is a serious mental illness, but it is possible to see the beauty in it! A person suffering from DID literally dissociates from reality; from a situation or experience that is too violent, traumatic, or painful to assimilate into the conscious self. The disorder is just the brain’s attempt to save you.
NP: What do you hope participants take away from the experience?
PA: My hope is that participants will take away the experience of being healed. We all hurt. We all need help. We all deserve empathy. That being said, I believe we can offer that experience to participants, and still have a production that thrills, delights, and entices.
NP: Can you tell us a little about yourself and your background in the immersive arts?
LS: The creative team that we have for this production is made up of such diverse designers, performers, writers and producers- with many of us wearing multiple shoes! It’s rather hard to sum up our collective experiences. I personally began my career originally by helping companies design escape rooms. I transitioned into immersive theater when I began working as the Creative Producer of Spy Brunch’s Safehouse series and founded CoAct last year where I co-produced and directed The Sideshow. Danielle had built a career designing sets for film and television. Last year, she jumped into the world of immersive theatre and was a huge part of making The Sideshow such a success. Payden was a theatre professor that “ran away to the circus” after finding immersive theatre. Since then, he’s stage managed The Sideshow and Sampson Creative Enterprises’ Grunge Shop Tavern and even performed in Spy Brunch’s remount of Safehouse ’77. Co-Writer and Performer Kelley Pierre’s artistic background is primarily outside of the realm of ‘immersive’, however she has a wide range of performing arts experience- most recently she was the writer, producer, and performer of HFF2019 “The Same Room” which is extending its run as part of the “Best of The Broadwater” awards.
Welcome To Respite runs August 8–18th in East Hollywood. Tickets are $38.
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