We sat down with Liz Mente-Bishop to discuss her latest play Duet for One. The production is being put on by two Oxford companies who have joined together – M.B Entertainment & Fiasco Theatre
When a celebrated musician loses the ability to perform, the loss reaches far beyond her career. Without the stage, without the instrument, Stephanie must confront the unsettling question of who she is beneath the role she has spent a lifetime perfecting. Seeking answers, she enters therapy and steps into a battle of intellect, resistance and revelation.
Tickets here.
Duet for One explores identity after a life-defining loss. What drew you to this story, and how does your own experience shape your interpretation of Stephanie’s journey?
The play was chosen for me by the director and a member of the cast who have both worked with me on productions before and are aware of my physical conditions – muscular skeletal, autoimmune and neurological. Living with chronic pain and its complications, I have had 19 operations so far, has seriously affected my mental health and I was suicidal for a few years. This lived experience has been the basis for my understanding of Stephanie’s journey, some of the similarities are uncanny. I have a many memories to draw from that will bring an authentic and heartfelt performance.
The play is set within a therapy room and relies heavily on language and psychological tension. How have you approached bringing that intensity to life for a contemporary audience?
Interestingly, as I spend most of the play in a wheelchair or seated, the lack of physical movement increases the intensity and tension. The power I feel coming through me in rehearsals is often more than I feel when I am performing a more active role, sometimes movement can decrease the strength and conviction of what a person is saying. The stillness, precision and focus this piece provides will draw the audience in.
You’ve spoken about the importance of representing the mental health impact of chronic conditions. What do you hope audiences take away from Stephanie’s experience?
For me personally, one of the most difficult things, with the chronic conditions I have, is that they are not visible, even surgeons have admitted thinking I am a hypochondriac until they have seen the scans and then operated to see the deterioration in my body. This has led me to think it is all in my head and try so hard not to say when I feel pain and not to talk about it and above all “be strong”. I believe this was instrumental in my becoming suicidal. It is my hope that audiences will gain more understanding of how physical conditions have such a detrimental affect mentally. I also hope, that if they are experiencing similar situations, either suffering themselves or caring for someone who is suffering they will take away the fact that it is ok to be in pain and talk about it, it is ok to grieve for the things you cannot do anymore. In addition, and the one I have struggled with most; it is ok to “be vulnerable” and ask for help.
This production features two different actors alternating as Dr Feldmann. How does that choice influence the dynamic between therapist and patient, and what new perspectives does it open up?
This is a fascinating experience, acting against both a younger and older version of Dr Feldmann has led to both predictable and unexpected dynamics, I will leave it at that for now as I don’t want to give away any spoilers. There are additional challenges for myself and the director, as we have chosen to separate the actors completely. That way, neither of them know what the other is doing and the back stories they have created. Consequently, when it comes to rehearsals we have to remind ourselves who we are rehearsing with and how the play reveals itself because even the movement varies between the two. I need to remember what I am thinking and doing with which Dr Feldmann.
The play engages with themes of mental health and chronic illness. How did you approach staging these elements in a way that feels truthful and dramatically effective?
For me, I didn’t think of staging them at all. For decades, mental health and chronic illness have defined me, broken me and motivated me to get back up again and fight. It is who I am, that in itself will bring the truth. In addition, my left hip urgently needs replacing due to the ball joint collapsing and other issues, the operation will be on the 8thof May, despite this fact I will still perform. The dramatic effect is a natural byproduct of allowing yourself to be vulnerable and raw on stage. This play presents that opportunity in abundance. My wish for the audience, sit back, relax and allow yourself to be affected.