"Those who tell the stories rule the world" - Plato

For this piece, I relied primarily on an interview I conducted with Tracy Atkinson. My questions revolved around eye health and history, medical and financial support, etc. Instead of looking at her story through a predefined lens, I wanted to stay true to her story, underscoring the lack of support she received.  

The use of fictional characters such as The Doctor and The Work Colleague elevated Tracy's personal, professional, and medical aspects. Since these characters are based on one person's story, they are one-dimensional. Neither the character nor the motive is fully fleshed out beyond making Erica's life more difficult. My purpose in doing so was to place my audience fully in Erica's shoes. 'Erica's' perception of these interactions is essential to telling Tracy Atkinson's true story, however biased it may be. As the famous American writer Walter Dean Myers once said: “All of fiction is truthful. What you create is your own truth and no one can take that away or change it.”

In developing my script, I flirted with the idea of making the performance a one-on-one experience. The audience member would enter the space blindfolded and move around the room as the performance progressed. There would be different parts of the room representing different locations in which Erica is in those moments (for example, the hospital).  It was my intention to create this atmosphere using different floorings and lighting effects that could still be perceived through blindfolds.  Panning would have allowed different sounds/voices to come from different places within the room during sound editing (though this was still used in the final product).  One-on-one performances are excellent for isolating an audience.  To convey the feeling of Tracy's recovery in the space, I wanted my audience (or participants) to feel just as uncomfortable within the space. 

My use of space and design enabled me to still achieve the concept of un-comfortability, even with a large audience.  By blindfolding my audience and having them lead themselves in by ushers, I created an alien environment, which made it hard for them to understand how big or small the room was.  Towards the end of my piece, the voice of 'Erica' reveals herself as an actress and informs my audience about the statutory sick pay situation currently in the UK.  After this she then tells them how they "Put their trust in those that lead them" and asks if they can 'Find their way out'.  My piece ends here, without applause, bows, or assistance.  This allowed me to further evoke the situation in which Tracy Atkinson found herself, unable to see and without help.  My audience's reaction to this ending was interesting, purely from a psychological standpoint.  There were many people who remained seated for a few minutes before removing their blindfolds and leaving the room.  Some stayed seated for longer, calling for someone to come get them.  One of the audience members felt their way out of the space whilst still wearing the blindfold.  

Interview Transcript

Finished Script