Edinburgh Fringe 2025
A Sudden, Disturbing To- Do List
Eleanor May Blackburn
Venue: Mint Studio at Greenside
Festival: Edinburgh Fringe
Low Down
An energetic, well thought out snap shot of a potential mental health condition performed by Eleanor May Blackburn. The performer received support from an access consultant and the show comes with an audio description introduction and strong narrative story telling well suited to a visually impaired audience
Review
The performance opens with an audio description. It effortlessly sets the scene for the audience, combined with some props on the stage, and we are immediately transported into the character’s world.
The show takes us on an experience with the performer. Throughout it we learn more about what is being experienced, how she feels. She leaves us with an insight into a potential mental health condition. However, the performance does not preach. We reach the understanding through the emotions evoked by the performance.
The use of music with heavy beats gave an additional element of tension and effectively created an uneasy feeling and distortion.
The speed of the performer’s speech and the speed with which we heard the different thought processes, in particular the complexity of the lists, subconsciously enlightened the audience to the struggles being experienced. It also created empathy for the character and was highly admirable. Equally, the way in which the performer explored the physical symptoms heightened our empathy for her. The combination of an effective sound effect and the change into physical theatre almost made us feel what the character was experiencing, and we wanted to stop the sensation for her.
The staging of the performance was engaging. The performer delivered sections to different parts of the room and mainly used good and effective levels. For the majority of the time it was easy to see the performer’s facial expressions. Perhaps it would be a consideration for future development to look at the emotions and the levels, as occasionally there were times when the character was experiencing an emotion but, from the second row, I struggled to see what it was as she was on the floor.
This was a brilliant collaboration with the venue, which was small and intimate, breaking boundaries between the performer and the audience, which added to our empathy for her. We felt what she was experiencing as if it was our own experience.
A highlight of the performance included a description of something intrinsic to the performance. The portrayal and description of it were so vivid it was as if we could physically see it. This was heightened by the accurate eyeline maintained by the performer, as it felt as if it was there.
Perhaps one of the most interesting elements of the performance was the way in which it removed blame. It was clear from the voice notes that a strong support network was involved. In addition, we felt the love and affection the character had for her support network, and they for her. This made us want to know more, to understand why she was feeling what she was. It also made us wonder how many people close to us may feel a similar way and made us want to reach out to them. It evoked a sense of compassion. We left feeling that we should be more understanding of people, because it seemed as if this situation could happen to anyone. It subtly altered our perceptions of people in this situation. Equally, the performance did not try to “solve” the issue. It did not tell us how to “fix the situation”. It brought the situation to our attention, leaving us wanting to know more and wondering what we could do to help.
This was a clear, well thought out and rounded performance. The intimate venue, combined with the way in which it was blocked alongside the artist’s portrayal, enabled us to have empathy for the character. The use of different forms, including voice overs, physical theatre and sound effects, in addition to the fast pace, led to the production of a highly effective performance.
