SCARY SHIT-THE AFTERMATH 28.02.16

Photo by Tina Remiz

When you ask for your friend to quickly help you with something, you might ask them to hold your hand before taking off on a dreaded flight or, they may hold your glass of wine whilst you adjust your bra, I mean, sure you might even get them to curl your hair if you ask them politely, but it's not every day you get them to deliver air into your mouth using a foot pump. This was the image presented to me as I placed my bottom on a Pleasance 'main space' seat somewhere in the third row and looked ahead.

So yeah, I guess you could say it was clear from the beginning that the show might incur some themes of nervousness, potential hyperventilation and quite possibly friendship.

I saw Rhiannon sitting there in her pink fluffy pants and orange wig, and giggled to myself. I saw Maddy with her thick black eyeliner, clearly a dancer, and thought she looked cool. I wanted to pick one to identify with, but I stopped myself for fear of missing the point.

The first section of the show in which Rhiannon and Maddy outlined who they were, and why they were there (to ultimately talk about fears and unravelling scary things through the process of performance, sharing the sessions they had participated in with psychotherapist Joy Griffiths who is also Rhiannon's mother-in law) was certainly helpful, and perfectly set up their charm and characteristics, so it was safe to say, I liked them.

The choreographed 'pink poncho piece' was also a unique way of laying out the various fears and phobias that people can suffer from, bizarre as some of them seemed. It's most certainly the first time I've smiled for a whole five minutes whilst listening in detail to a list fears and phobias and their meanings.

Rhiannon's open-ness and vulnerability throughout the show made it, well, just a real pleasure. People say that when someone is vulnerable and open with you, you're likely to get that back from them. In my head and heart, Rhiannon's dialogue with us in the audience made me reflect, and only supported the personal work I already do myself to keep growing talking, and being vulnerable in order to connect and be happy.

I also saw the importance of Maddy's presence, not only as the 'friend' who had been drawn into the process to support her buddy, but also to remind me how vital it is to be kind to yourself if you're not ready to talk about things, and to express your needs in any way you like until you're ready for the next stage of facing up to a life challenge or fear.

Maddy's spoken word piece 'Baby Box Blood Bath' was a highlight for its directness with language, movement and womanliness if I do say so myself.

Photo by Tina Remiz

So if 'Scary Sh*t' achieved anything for me personally (because I don't see it fit to talk on behalf of anyone else) it's opened up another pathway to understanding that there are processes that can be followed when facing scary sh*t in our lives, that we are not alone, and that whatever you need to do...it's okay.

Thank you for letting me share in your experiences ladies, and I hope others will take their own little package away from your show as I have :)

With thanks to Abstrakt publicity