Interludes

VIEWPOINTS – Using first hand accounts to frame reactions against psychotherapy and organized religion: THE PATIENT GLORIA and THE UNBELIEVING

• By drediman
• November 21, 2022
• No Comments

This past weekend, I took in a pair of investigatory works of theater that use first hand accounts to frame contemporary reactions against psychotherapy and organized religion. Here are my thoughts on these intriguing pieces.

THE PATIENT GLORIA
St. Ann’s Warehouse
Through December 4

Last night, Pan Pan’s production of The Patient Gloria (SOMEWHAT RECOMMENDED) opened at St. Ann’s Warehouse in Brooklyn. The work was previously seen at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, where it created buzz and garnered acclaim. In essence, the piece is a deconstruction of three filmed psychoanalysis sessions that were released to the public at large without the consent of its subject, Gloria Szymanski. Using material from the underlying 1965 film as well biting additional commentary by Moxley — who stars not only as herself, but also as the three white male psychotherapists who conducted the sessions — the work is an unruly, punk rock retaliation not only against the egregious wrongs done against Ms. Szymanski, but also — more broadly — to the practice of psychotherapy and all things patriarchal. Unfortunately, as a piece of feminist-cum-experimental theater, the work feels a tad stale, registering more like a relic from decades past instead of a piece of truly radical contemporary theater. Nevertheless, the performances from Moxley and Liv O’Donoghue — who dutifully takes on the titular role — are admirably and fiercely committed.

THE UNBELIEVING
The Civilians at 59E59 Theaters
Closed

More successful was the endeavor over at 59E59 Theaters — The Civilians’ production of The Unbelieving (RECOMMENDED). Written by Marin Gazzaniga, the piece (which unfortunately played its final performance last weekend) investigates real life crises of faith faced by clergy members who have lost their belief in their respective gods and to varying degrees their reaction against organized religion (represented are Catholics, Episcopalians, Evangelicals, Fundamentalists, Jews, Mormons, and Muslims). As typical of the pioneering shows by The Civilians, The Unbelieving is comprised of an artfully assembled tapestry of verbatim interviews, which in this case were culled from a study by philosopher Daniel C. Dennett and researcher Linda LaScola. Thanks largely to a set of deeply empathetic performances, the result is a clear-eyed yet surprisingly compassionate collection of portraits that illustrate our general ability to re-orient ourselves in the event that the proverbial rug is pulled from underneath us. As efficiently and seamlessly staged by director Steve Cosson — The Civilians’ longtime artistic director — The Unbelieving organically generates theatrical momentum and force from its stealthy depiction of humanity’s resilience and capacity to evolve and thrive beyond the constraints put upon it by established societal constructs.