Lisa's watch isn't an hour slow, LISA IS!

As the strange little Freudian Swiss watchmaker explains, when Lisa flew from New York to London with British Airways, there was a two hour delay with a five hour time difference. As she crossed the Greenwich Meridian, British Summertime ended and the clocks went back. Lisa never got her hour back. To restore balance to her life she MUST find her missing hour.

The Wonderful World of Dissocia is a road trip down the rabbit hole of our heroine’s mind. Lisa suffers from Dissociative Disorder, a mental illness that requires long term constant medication. Without this intervention Lisa retreats into her fantasy world. 

As our heroine embarks on her quest to retrieve her AWOL hour she descends to the land of Dissocia. Lisa soon discovers there is a war raging across the realm. A war between the Dissocians’ displaced Queen Sarah and the Black Dog King, a close relative of those terrifying beasts that Winston Churchill strove so hard to escape. Which of these two primal forces in this wonderland will ultimately prevail? Will it be the dark forces of the Black Dog of depression that eventually rule over The Wonderful World of Dissocia? Or will the Queen and her valiant followers be victorious?

Lisa's anarchic adventures are irreverently hilarious and maniacally funny: full of crazy jokes, crazy songs and even crazier characters. These include self-conscious twitching in-security guards, a ritual-addicted bureaucrat known as the Oathtaker and his attendants, a real live potty-mouthed scapegoat with a violent streak, a tarty hotdog stall proprietor surrounded by eccentric neurotics and Jane, a council employee who drives a Chitty Chitty Bang Bang style car and is a professional victim. These and other bizarre inhabitants of Dissocia are created by my very talented, multi role playing cast of Lola Lee-Walsh, Claire Kingshot, Natalie Smith, Stephanie Tame, Vivien Goodwin, David Webster, Scott Shearer, Steve Hunt, David Adams and Michael Martin. This mad crew is headed by Kelly Mcentagget as our heroine Lisa.

The fun and craziness of Act One revs up entertainingly into an interval that will form a dramatic watershed; when the post-drinks curtain rises, will it be a very different world we inhabit?  I have always known that this extraordinary and remarkable play looking at the very serious issues of mental health has the potential to divide an audience's opinion.  All I would ask is, please, fully form that opinion at the final curtain.

As an artist and designer, I am so excited to be given the opportunity to produce this exceptional play. I am loving the process of creating the marvellous dream world of Dissocia. However, this is not just a gift for a production designer. This is a show of interest to all creative and technical departments.  I am delighted to have at the helm the very experienced Stage Manager, Alan Peck and a fantastic backstage team including Lighting design by Dave Elcome, Sound by James McLeod Costumes by Joan Alden and Props are in the capable hands of Nicole Antras.

The Cast and Crew are all letting their imaginations run riot enabling us to breathe life in to this play that quite literally crawls into a young woman’s mind.  Everyone involved are helping to create an exceptional theatrical experience. I promise it will be a rewarding evening spent at the GWT and one that will stay with you for some time to come.

ANTHONY NEILSON . . . ON WRITING

"I think one of the fortunate things about being a writer – much as it’s a pain in the arse most of the time – is the ability to turn adverse situations into something creative. I think that’s very useful and it’s probably just about kept me out of counselling and psychotherapy. I think you’re very lucky if you have a way of converting adverse situations into positive ones."

ON THE HUMAN CONDITION

"It doesn’t seem so now because people responded well to it, but at the time Dissocia was very much an experiment. I’ve become increasingly interested in how you theatricalise people’s internal workings, the insides of their heads because

a) it’s a subject that interests me

b) it’s a challenge and

c) it allows you to go anywhere and do anything you want. So when Dissocia worked I thought, ‘Yeah, I’m interested in this’. I still think our job in theatre is to reflect the human condition and be truthful about it, even at some cost to yourself, if necessary, in terms of embarrassing yourself or presenting yourself warts and all."

As all the best fairy tales do Lisa's adventures swings from whimsy to horror and back again. They are full of song, jokes and magical theatre. The Wizard of Oz and Alice in Wonderland meets Monty Python and The League of Gentlemen.

Maniacal and moving. The Wonderful World of Dissocia is a funny and bizarre piece of avant-garde art. An absolute necessity for anyone interested in original and exciting theatre.