After watching this I had pure chills. I sat up from my comfortable couch in awe. I had been touched by this one woman piece. The places I don’t always openly share was touched in ways I couldn’t imagine. I was brave too and my past traumas I had worked on through therapy was being seen. They were being seen in the most beautiful and flawed way. Here is my review of Inis Nua Theatre’s review of How to Be Brave.
Flaws and All
How to be Brave is about a woman, a mother finding her way. I sympathized with that. I too have had some challenges with motherhood. How to do it “right.” I also struggled with this notion of how to show up for myself when the kid inside of me hadn’t healed. How To Be Brave was written by Sian Owen. She write this story or unveiling Katie on this journey of self discovery. Katie is struggling with running. She believes she is running away from her problems but in essence her journey is of discovering how she is to be or already is as a woman and a mother. Having both of parts of her collide was a magical masterpiece.
Inner Child
I know I am not the only person who has heard someone describe their inner child. We all have an inner child. Whether that inner child is healed from past trauma or matters is how we show up in the world as adults. The part of you that is insecure from a bully. Can you show up as your true authentic self when you still carry the scars of the leveling the bully has rocked in your early years? Some can’t.
I saw a quote the other day and said that many are showing up in the world at the age that our heart hit. So yes grown people on this journey in life as five year old selves is real. Katie finds herself in an unlikely place. She realizes her bravery through a series of events that lead her back to her child and mother. When her mom gives her that push that she is whole-it does something to her.
Unhealed Pain
I hear people state how nothing bothers them. When people say that I hear a wall. The only reason I can personally hear that is due to years of therapy. It took me on my own journey. I realized how much I had not addressed but I also found that I too was brave. Like Katie, I too was becoming whole. I too had made it through. We put so much weight on the journey that we too like Katie forget the lesson. This pandemic revealed breaking points in all of us. Many didn’t survive but for those who blessedly have, we did it and are doing it. The hope that we can rise through ANYTHING is very much renewed in each of us.
Inis Nua Theatre
What an amazing way to capture Katie’s journey. The smooth transitions as Katie journeys through Edinburgh, was absolutely done well. I personally enjoyed the transitions. It was well captured. Special shout out to the production team. Pulling together with the help of a green scene. The outcome is a breathtaking. Once you view it you forget that. I was blown away with the level of professionalism and skill.
Katie played by Alice Yorke
She was absolutely what we didn’t know we needed. Every emotion that we needed to feel such as fear, anger, hurt and pain Alice dipped her whole soul into. Alice gave everything and it was an above solid performance. We needed her to come correct and she took us on that journey effortlessly. It had me on my feet in awe. Where I cried at the end, I knew she had me. The whole time I kept thinking was I can’t imagine how I would have been had I been in the theatre. I was at least able to have these raw emotions in the comfort of my own home.
Thank you to Inis Nua Theatre for this journey. For reminding me and those who view it just how in our worse days we are better than we think or appear. Here is the link for you to purchase the viewing for yourself. The show is on until April 25th and is apart of the Philly Theatre Week. Thank you to Aversa PR for the invite as always. I await the time to step my foot back into the theatre. Creativity is alive and well.
