Fake It ‘Til You Make It
If one of the greatest barriers to the diagnosis and treatment of depression is difficulty in communication between those suffering and those who could possibly help, then this heartfelt and powerful presentation performs a great service on behalf of a challenging subject matter. Bryony Kimmings and Tim Grayburn communicate their inner lives and personal experiences to us, the audience, and by doing so, go some way toward achieving their stated aim of breaking taboos and smashing stigma.
A number of the duo's visualisations of depressive symptoms/effects are quite ingenious, and this helps to make their performance a multi-dimensional experience that can't simply be reduced to the level of a self-help book-on-tape (though there is regular deployment of pre-recorded interview/confessional segments that often pack a real punch). Some of the choreographed dancing can seem amateurish, but charmingly so; on the other hand, there are interludes where movement and sound are slowed down and precisely presented for maximum emotional effect.
Fake It 'Til You Make It has the potential to make a genuine connection with - and positive impact on - those who need the assistance and support and understanding of others in order to achieve their true potential in this life. Bryony Kimmings and Tim Grayburn are to be commended for attempting to increase the levels of understanding about some of the more easily hidden aspects of our common humanity.
Anthony Vawser
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