Edinburgh Fringe 2024
The Expulsion of Exulansis
Siyani Sheth Productions
Genre: Contemporary, New Writing
Venue: The Space @ Niddry St
Festival: Edinburgh Fringe
Low Down
The Expulsion of Exulansis is a powerful piece of new writing by Siyani Sheth, an 18-year-old British Indian playwright from London, telling an important story in a clear, unfussy way by a talented young cast. It is an outstanding production that deserves a wide audience—an unmissable gem of the Fringe.
Review
At Fringe Review, we don’t rely on stars; instead, we use banners to better reflect the essence of a show. The Expulsion of Exulansis is one of those rare productions that deserves multiple accolades—outstanding, a must-see, and a hidden gem. It’s a show that, while deeply deserving of a larger audience, hasn’t yet garnered the attention it should.
The term exulansis is not to be found in any mainstream dictionary. It was coined by John Koenig for his project ‘The Dictionary of Obscure Sorrows’—which aims to define emotions we feel but do not yet have a word for – as “the tendency to give up trying to talk about an experience because people are unable to relate to it”.
Watching The Expulsion of Exulansis was an emotionally charged experience. Even with the analytical voice of a reviewer in my head, I found myself completely absorbed by this poignant retelling of the harsh realities of mental health struggles faced by many young people today. The play is both evocative and powerful, addressing the sensitive topics of depression, anxiety, eating disorders, and self-harm with remarkable clarity, depth and empathy.
Written and directed by Siyani Sheth, an 18-year-old British Indian playwright from London, this moving true story delves into deeply personal experiences, offering a compelling journey of hope and resilience. Sheth, who was diagnosed with depression, anxiety, and an eating disorder at 15, brings her own life to the stage with a narrative that brings home how complex these needs can be, how difficult it can be to access help but also how hard it is for those around the young person to support and help someone they care for very deeply.
The play tells the story of a young girl, Anneke, struggling with her mental health, navigating everything from suicidal thoughts to self-harm, as she and her family strive to get the help they need. The writing is natural and convincing, flowing smoothly throughout. Remarkably, Sheth has crafted a play with a strong dramatic arc that both tells her story and presents it in a way that others can connect with. She takes a step back from the deeply personal by naming her protagonist Anneke and having two actors portray her. Sheth herself plays Anneke the narrator, while Zahira Kayrooz takes on Anneke the dramatic character. Sheth has made no attempt to make her stage character look like her and the contrast serves to expand the potential for young audience to identify with the key themes and issues.
The stage is set simply, with a few chairs and minimal props that effectively transform the space into various settings—sitting room, hospital, group therapy sessions, and more. The play is framed by Anneke’s first meeting with a new therapist, with the action shifting to show her story come to life.
Kayrooz provides a powerful performance as Anneke, capturing both the difficult dark moments and the lighter ones in her first date and making an important new friend. The cast of seven, aside from Kayrooz, take on multiple roles, maintaining a cohesive narrative that reinforces the dramatization of a real story rather than a documentary retelling. An unusual yet touching aspect of the production is that Sheth’s father, Mitesh Sheth, is part of the cast, playing Anneke’s father among other roles. All flip between their various characters without missing a beat and are convincing as all of them. The episodic nature of the play means that some of these characters are a little two dimensional because we see them so fleetingly but this cast never treats them as insignificant.
The group scenes are particularly impactful, spanning hospital visits, school counselling, moments with Anneke’s boyfriend, and group therapy sessions as part of a residential treatment plan. Many of these scenes are painful to watch, but moments of humour, including some dark comedy, contribute to the depth and realism of the story.
The Expulsion of Exulansis is a powerful piece of new writing telling an important story in a clear, unfussy way by a talented young cast. It is an outstanding production that deserves a wide audience—an unmissable gem of the Fringe.
