Find Me: genre
Genre: "Find Me" by Olwen Wymark
General Overview
- "Find Me" is a contemporary play.
- The genre can be considered verbatim theatre, as it consists of pieced-together extracts from actual interviews and reports.
- Fits into the docudrama category due to its focus on a true story and the consequent issues regarding healthcare and societal attitudes towards mental health.
Tragedy Aspect
- "Find Me" has elements of a modern tragedy, focusing on the downfall and suffering of the main character, Verity Taylor.
- The tragedy is not just confined to Verity but also affects her family, portraying the wider impact of mental health issues.
Expressionism Aspect
- The play can also be categorised under expressionism, with the use of monologues, fragmented narratives, and non-linear chronology.
- This approach helps to convey the inner thoughts, perceptions, and emotions of Verity, making the audience empathetic towards her.
Exploration of Social and Political Themes
- It's a social commentary, addressing mental health and the institutions designed to handle such cases. This makes the play a social realist drama as well.
- The script touches on political issues such as the limitations of the healthcare and justice systems in dealing with mental health problems.
Unusual and Experimental Structure
- The play features a non-linear narrative structure, the events do not occur in chronological order. This storytelling style aims to reflect the disjointed ways in which people with mental health disorders might perceive the world.
- "Find Me" uses Brechtian techniques by breaking the fourth wall and by shifting between different settings and characters rapidly. This forces the audience to constantly re-orient, promoting a critical, detached analysis of the messages on display.