Can You See Into a Black Hole?

THE BLACK HOLE PROJECT

I was diagnosed with epilepsy when I was 8, it changed my life forever and this show is the first show in a body of work exploring that change for me and other people. When I was diagnosed I was told a lot about the medical side of staying alive, but nobody taught us about everything else. I was taught only to survive, and now I think I deserve more than that. I'm trying to disrupt the medical narrative of epilepsy to focus on the emotional, psychological and social impact it has on people. 

It is a trilogy of shows about growing up with a chronic condition like epilepsy. "Can you see into a black hole?" is the first show which explores the reality of my journey. The second show is for young people, and is the intervention to change this narrative. The third show is the imagined exploration of what happens if the intervention is successful, where we will send a person with epilepsy to space.

"Can You See Into a Black Hole?" is a solo performance which has been performed at Shoreditch Town Hall, Camden People's Theatre, The Holbeck and outdoors in Covent Garden. I was published and adapted for audio by Cast, Doncaster.

CAN YOU SEE INTO A BLACK HOLE?

When Tom grows up he wants to be an astronaut... or the blue power ranger, they’re kind of the same thing anyway, right? But, aged 8, a black hole opens up inside his head when he has his first seizure and his entire world is swallowed up. Now, Tom must take on an even bigger adventure.

In this solo space odyssey, developed th­rough interviews with his parents and to­ld using innovative soundscap­es,​ Tom​ tries to reconstruct an invisi­ble part of his life which changed him so much. Performed by 1 actor, ​ "Can You See Into A Black Hol­e?"​ is an epic adven­ture exploring one family’s journey to adapt in the face of celestial scale even­ts.

Originally commissioned by Upstart Theatre for Dare Festival 2018 and now supported by a grant from Arts Council England. The gallery below is from our ACE period of development - the show has now emerged in its full form as part of the Iris Theatre summer season 2021.