The Small, Dark Room
Directed by Reshmi Hazra
Center on Halsted, 3656 N. Halsted (map)
thru April 16 | tickets: $15-$20 | more info
Check for half-price tickets
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Shining a light in the dark – but is it enough?
Erasing the Distance presents
The Small, Dark Room
Review by Clint May
In a culture so often criticized for oversharing, it can be easy to forget that not so long ago we kept anything considered ‘unseemly’ deeply, destructively, internalized. For many immigrants coming to this country, it might come as a shock that people can discuss depression with little chance of stigma. Heck, some people seem practically eager to share their experiences with it in the big cities as a near rite of passage. Growing up in a small Midwest town, I remember well how mental health issues were discussed in hushed tones as derisive gossip, seen as a failure of a person’s ability to pull themselves up than a legitimate disorder in need of treatment and certainly never confronted. Erasing the Distance—purveyors of a brand of theater devoted to shedding light on mental health issues—narrate six real life stories of people from a
The Small, Dark Room’s stories have been gathered and adapted in collaboration with students in the University of Illinois at Chicago Asian American Studies Program. Gathering the stories from persons with similar backgrounds, they’ve been adapted and now potrayed by Erasing’s troupe. Jeff (Gordon Chow) has been sexually abused, lost the young love of his life, and seeks a peace in Buddhism. Maryam (Susaan Jamshidi) from Palestine is a pre-med student grappling with depression with a mind for science and a supportive family. Tarak (Adam Poss) ponders suicide in secret while simultaneously grappling with the after effects of his mother’s own suicide. Warren (Kroydell Galima), a Filipino-American, tries to find strength in his supposed weakness, pondering that if he can feel such depths of sadness that he might also be able to experience greater heights of joy. Ha-Ti-Chi-Nok (Wannapa Pimtong-Eubanks) combats her psoriasis with writing and gentle humor. Most hopeful of all, Manij (Rula Gardenier) is a refugee from Iran escaping an abusive family and husband with her children and finds consolation in helping a new generation fight oppression.
This is spartan therapy theater (therapeter?)—only the monologue, the stage, you. While most of the Erasing team is up to the task of being the avatar of these people’s stories, some drift perilously close to rote recitation. It’s the second half that really shines, particularly Adam Poss’ glimpsed undercurrents of pained depth and Wannapa Pimtong-Eubanks’ heartbreaking inhabitation of a woman battling a debilitating disease with hope yet inside her. And Rula Gardenier is simply lovely to behold with her quiet power, world-wise grace, and glimmering optimism.
As I struggle with what was missing in this production, the word that comes to mind is “context.” How and why do such cultural systems and stigmas perpetuate here in the 21st century, and can you take good parts of a culture and remove the bad parts, or are they inextricably linked? Do we defer to cultural sensitivity at our own peril? Each question and answer is a play in and of itself. A question and answer session following the shows is far too brief a time to explore something they openly admit is a deeply complex issue (and many audience members are shy or cannot quickly articulate a good question – and what if you miss the night when someone has a penetrating insight?).
Collecting and archiving these stories of mental illness and repurposing them to prompt discussion seems but one-half of the equation in a noble mission for Erasing the Distance. The Small, Dark Room has the germs of a half-dozen plays at its center, and it’d be exciting to see this move from a workshop-feel to full blown dramatization. Such as it is, this is still some potent stuff in this room, and I applaud this company and its artists for doing their part to open the door and let those within the room escape the dark.
Rating: ★★½
The Small, Dark Room continues through April 16th in the Hoover-Leppen Theatre at The Center on Halsted, 3656 N. Halsted (map), with performances Monday and Tuesday at 7:30pm. Tickets are $15-$20, and are available by phone (773-856-3455) or online at BrownPaperTickets.com (check for half-price tickets at Goldstar.com). More information at ErasingTheDistance.org. (Running time: 60 minutes without intermission; discussion to follow)
Photos by Cory Dewald
artists
cast
Gordon Chow, Wannapa Pimtong-Eubanks, Kroydell Galima, Rula Gardenier, Susaan Jamshidi, Adam Poss, Scott Shimizu
behind the scenes
Reshmi Hazra (director), Norman Chen, Jialin Li, Ana Sofia Lupu, Brighid O’Shaughnessy, Kruti Parikh, Gessa Suboc, Chun-Shan Yi (adaptors), Deanna Fiorentino (stage manager), Jennifer Shine (production manager), Mac Vaughey (lighting), Stephanie Diaz (casting), Cory Dewald (photos)
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