The Thousands

Ever felt like your body was giving up on you? The doctor looks at you glibly, "Sorry, all in your mind!" Hey, it felt like a heart attack, buddy! Gasp is a play that deals with a more serious case of the mind fucking the body over.

Grace (acting spitfire Natalie Holmwood), a girl in her early 20s, starts having trouble breathing. All of which constricts her lifestyle – boyfriend, work, Bridezilla marathons, etc. Meanwhile, in the 19th century, a trio of Terry Gilliam-styled doctors treat a young girl with the latest medical science: lobotomies for everyone!

Crossing between a fantastical past and the mundane present, Gasp uses shadow puppets and projected animation to illustrate Grace’s anxiety disorder. Writer Suzanne Rolfe takes a tongue-in-cheek approach to a serious issue, and Hook In Eye have a crack-team in Monique Wajon’s steam-punk influenced costume/ design and Michelle Sowden’s empathetic, confident direction.

Relatable in its content and entertainingly surreal in its execution, Gasp is a play that moves (in both senses).