Far From Fiction at The Tavistock and Portman
Far From Fiction at The Tavistock and Portman
Far From Fiction is a play about self-harm. Two people meet in a place of confinement. It feels like a prison but is, in fact, a rehabilitation centre for people suffering from mental illness. One character is a 70-year old academic white lady who has recently suffered a serious depression. The other is a 20-year old highly intelligent black woman who has been in hospital for self-harm and an eating disorder. The two women become friends despite cultural differences and the 50-year age-gap. Their relationship develops and takes twists and turns as the story unfolds. We witness their daemons and their vacillating facility for relating to each other in a confined setting. Can they get well? Is there really any hope? What do they have to offer each other? Their developing relationship is the focus of the play. Although the play addresses a very serious truth about human nature, there are moments of comedy and light heartedness.
As well as looking at the experience of the two people, the play also asks about the impact of societal responses to those who self-harm and poses the question: why is self-harm increasing in young people today? What can we do, as professionals, to help.