ELECTROLYTE
Sherman Theatre, Cardiff
Tue 18 June
Sixteen million people in the UK – around one in four adults – will experience a mental illness at some point each year. While mental health issues are becoming more and more prevalent in conversation, thus understood, it remains vital that we support those around us who may be suffering.
Over the years, we have seen many new and innovative projects unveiled which aim to encourage others to adopt a positive conversation and to speak about their struggles. Multi-award-winning theatre company Wildcard is set to continue the discussion surrounding mental health with their latest ambitious production, Electrolyte. Following a successful run at last year’s Edinburgh Fringe, the production is currently on a 31-venue tour across the UK, which includes a stop at Cardiff’s Sherman Theatre.
Written by James Meteyard, with music and lyrics by Maimuna Memon, Electrolyte is an electrifying piece of gig-theatre which explores grief, depression and psychosis for a contemporary audience. The production, which is written in spoken word poetry and underscored by original music, tells the story of Jessie, who is sick of her hometown Leeds, a city she believed she would never leave. Feeling suffocated by her surroundings, Jessie contemplates her life in a dirty nightclub when she is suddenly blinded by the light of singer-songwriter Allie Touch. This ignites a spark in Jessie, as she follows the singer to London in the hope of fulfilling a different life. However, her mental health is soon on the decline which leads to a fight for recovery.
Performed by six multi-instrumentalists, Electrolyte looks set to be a raw and powerful production, integrating a multitude of musical genres including house, jazz, folk, drum’n’bass and rock, underpinned by expert storytelling. The production has already won a number of accolades, notably the Mental Health Fringe Award and the Pleasance Best Newcomer Award 2018. Gig theatre is a huge growing trend and it looks like Electrolyte is the latest production to truly challenge what theatre is expected to be in 2019.
words Katrina Rees
Tickets: £16/£8 under-25s. Info: 029 2064 6900 / www.shermantheatre.co.uk