A one-woman black comedy, where invisible illness and a ‘hostile environment’ collide.
Playwright: Lorna Wells | Director: Aisling Gallagher | Producer: Rebecca Dilg | Liberty Jones played by Corinne Walker
Air is invisible.
A vibe is invisible.
Time is invisible.
A giggle is invisible.
And so are many illnesses.
‘Illusions of Liberty’ is a black comedy about, a woman who has a fake identity, but not one of her choosing. She is in a constant battle to maintain what people believe she is. It’s a matter of survival. Over the course of four days, after some traumatic news, she battles with hard truths, and convincing lies.
Liberty Jones, is a Principal Cellist. For five years she has been plagued with an increasing number of bewildering symptoms. Five days ago, Liberty Jones received a diagnosis of an invisible illness. Against the backdrop of a ‘hostile environment, this black comedy follows her for four days, when we see her struggle with her diagnosis, the mother daughter relationship, and what it means to have an illness no one can actually see.
As she struggles to maintain her equilibrium in her new status and relationships.
How does she feel when the dust settles? How does she deal with her new normal? How many new ‘normals’ will she have to adjust to, in four days?
Backed by live music, this funny, poignant semi-autobiographical play challenges us to look below the surface and ‘see’ the invisible.
Lorna Wells, writer of the play said. “You can look really well, act perfectly ‘normally’ and be suffering from the most crippling symptoms and conditions. This can cause prejudice, misunderstanding, unfair judgement, and a lot of drama. People often say that, they’re not pretending to be sick, they’re pretending to be well. I wanted to write something which could tell the stories of people with Invisible illnesses, but also highlight issues around the hostile environment, examine the-mother daughter relationship and racism.”
The show premiered at the King’s Head in 2019 as part of their Playmill Festival. This is a further development of the show kindly supported by Funding from Arts Council England and the National Lottery.
