The Light Inside

The Light Inside is a performative, poetic and immersive piece that takes the viewer on a journey through a long, dark tunnel with no visible end, placing them in the shoes of someone experiencing a mental illness. The unidentified person walking through the tunnel holds a lantern that represents hope for a recovery. 
 
As we follow the lantern through the tunnel, we are joined by a chorus of voices that fill the surrounding darkness. Each voice is a real person telling us of their own experience and journey through mental illness. As we go deeper into the stories, the light from the outside world slowly fades. We begin to lose our sense of reality as the voices take over. Varying experiences and disorders are described, ranging from mania to depression, delusions and phobias. Thoughts and anxieties are shared about the pandemic, global warming, black lives matter and other pressing issues. Then, when our stories reach their darkest ebb, the lantern goes out. 
 
But by clinging to an inner faith that this light will eventually return, our individual pushes on through the dark. The voices we hear begin to talk of recovery - the thoughts, ideas, recollections, people, actions and moments that gave them hope and led them home.  
 
We see the end of the tunnel approaching. Our sense of hope builds. Finally, we return to the world and the light of day. We look back towards the tunnel and see the individuals whose stories we have just heard.