The dark exploration of ‘My Soul, and Other Broken Things’ leaves questions unanswered

Event: My Soul, and Other Broken Things

Playwright: Sarah Dewhirst

School: Metropolitan State University

Event Date: Thursday Jan 22

Some scientists say that human beings only use one third of their brain capacity. The other two thirds is rather unknown, and the subconscious is somewhere amongst it. Perhaps this is where secrets and repressed memories go. Maybe it is home to the soul.

Sarah Dewhirst’s one-act play, My Soul, and Other Broken Things explores this unknown territory through a young girl named Sephora (Kayla Sechler). She enters the abandoned home of her dead mother, Rebecca (Jennifer Cha), and implores the haunted walls to answer questions from her upbringing.

Through the direction of David Hanzal, the characters begin to transform the space from dreamlike to spirit-world to flashbacks to reality. It is unclear whether the ensemble represents voices from Sephora’s mind, or spirits, or demons. Somehow, with guidance from the mystical cab driver (Steve Modena), Sephora begins to watch memories of her mother and former friend Kayla (Elyse Evans) come to life in the living room. Sephora watches her 16-year-old self explore her sexuality with Kayla, simultaneously wondering if she will be condemned to hell for this immoral act of kissing a girl. Is it simply an extension of her mother’s religious beliefs?

The concept of the play is inventive, though the methods of exploration are hard to justify. Between expressive movement, ghostly masks, punk-zombie makeup, flashbacks, and flashing lights, it was difficult to determine the purpose of these devices. Every aspect was dreamlike and disorienting.

Dewhirst’s attempts to orient the audience with straightforward dialogue resulted in indulgent exposition. Sephora, who entered the room asking questions, was now casually discussing mythical worlds, purgatory, conjuring spirits, and open souls.

The text implies that Sephora has gained insight on her journey, but the audience is left behind. Suddenly, Sephora has acquired the power to conjure her own memories and her relationship with the cab driver, that she had met less than one-hour prior, became familiar.

It was as if Dewhirst had to tackle the huge philosophical questions of the universe in one-hour and over-loaded the audience with information. The production elements worked in favor of Dewhirst, but it wasn’t enough to sustain the slippery slope of questions provided by the script.

The play is an exploration of the human mind, soul, and subconscious. This is commendable subject matter for Dewhirst. Still, this dark place seemed overwhelmingly unknown and the production could have benefited from some illumination.