WARNING: This article contains sensitive topics. Those in need of support can contact the Mental Health Crisis Line: 613-722-6914 (within Ottawa) and 1-866-996-0991 (outside Ottawa), the Ottawa Distress Centre Crisis Line: 613-238-3311, or the Youth Services Bureau 24/7 Crisis Line: 613-260-2360 or 1-877-377-7775 (toll)
In collaboration with TACTICS Ottawa, Exciting Cause brought haunting tales of Rockwood Asylum’s female patients onto stage in an emotional performance that platforms, rather than medicalizes, women’s mental health experiences.
Exciting Cause portrays the stories of three ghosts, based on real Rockwood women, haunting the asylum walls. The play also switches to the future, following Sarah—played by Michelle LeBlanc—who displays inner turmoil as she searches for the reason her great-great-grandmother resided at the facility.
A revelation in playwright Laurie Fyffe’s family inspired the play’s creation. After discovering that her own great-great-grandmother was a Rockwood patient in 1901, Fyffe worked to uncover patients’ stories. Through its use of effective imagery, the storyline explores the women’s experiences of being involuntarily committed for simply behaving against societal norms, building suspense about what’s to come.
Choreographer Allison Burns and Fyffe wove dancing into the plot in a “highly collaborative” effort. The freely flowing movements expressed the women’s asylum confinement, producing a sharp juxtaposition.
“[The idea was] to illustrate what was happening [inside these women], not the science,” Burns said during a special talkback event on April 27.
Chelsea Passmore, an Ottawa-based contemporary dancer, delivered beautifully fluid movements as Doctor Clark, a man who performs heinous “madness-curing” operations on female patients. Through only hand gestures, Passmore mimicked a brain operation that left me squirming in my seat, yearning to look away but unable to.
Passmore also brought deep understanding to the complex ghostly role of Hattie Donovan, a mother of ten who was abused by her husband. In a unique scene, Donovan is given ten chairs to represent each of her children. As the chairs continue stacking upon Donovan, her fears are brought to the surface, metaphorically trapping her in an overwhelming reality. Passmore brought the mesmerizing scene to life through raw, emotional panic and distressed mourning over her lost potential.
Julie Le Gal was a powerful stage presence in her roles as Annie and Ellen Brown. Switching effortlessly between ghost and patient, groundskeeper and nurse, Le Gal kept the audience’s attention, delivering her monologues with introspective weight. In one dialogue, Le Gal is wrapped in a straitjacket and discusses how women’s reasonable reactions to life events were perceived as “crazy.”
Production elements created a haunting effect on stage. Hannah Ferguson elegantly crafted ghostly costumes of flowing white fabric that doubled as patients’ uniforms.
Lighting director Emilio Sebastio added to the otherworldly experience, angling lights to project spiralling ghoulish shadows onto the black backdrop. Lightning, cackles and theatrical music effects left audience members with chilling goosebumps.
“I was always speculating about what these women were thinking [as opposed to] what these doctors were thinking. How did [these women] create a reality for themselves? What was going on in their minds when this was happening to them?” Fyffe said.
Exciting Cause explores the harsh realities of how society treats women experiencing mental illness. The performance connects the past to the present, encouraging audiences to confront patriarchal-based prejudices and advocate for those needing mental health support.
Featured image by Christopher Rohde.
