4.48 Psychosis at Pharmacy Theatre

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2. 4.48 Psychosis

Written by Sarah Kane and interpreted by Central PA local, Dawn-Michelle Lewis, 4.48 Psychosis tells a not uncommon story of psychological turmoil. Contemplation and discussion of suicide are prominent and while there is no strict narrative or timeline, certain issues and events are clearly dealt with: deciding whether to take medication to treat depression, the desires of the depressed mind, the effects and effectiveness of medication, self-harm, suicide and the possible causes of depression.

The cast features Dawn-Michelle Lewis*, Rita Smith, Rebecca Lyttle, Luke Luchle, Paul Hood, Joseph Bressi, Kate Plank, Karolina Quigley, and Timothy Quigley. 4.48 Psychosis is directed by Dawn-Michelle Lewis and stage managed by Noelle Yost with assistant stage manager, Helen Nguyen. 

Arts Republic says 4.48 Psychosis is "harrowing, haunting, unshakable." The Guardian calls it "grueling," and the Houston Press proclaims it "full of shock and awe...and wonder." Variety says, "the play pulsates with life."

4.48 Psychosis sees the ultimate narrowing of Sarah Kane's focus in her work. The struggle of the self to remain intact has moved in her work from civil war, into the family, into the couple, into the individual, and finally into the theatre of psychosis: the mind itself. This play was written in 1999 shortly before the playwright took her own life at age 28. On the page, the piece looks like a poem. No characters are named, and even their number is unspecified.