About the Project
The premise of The Sandcastle is that the psychotic lives in the sandcastle, the neurotic worries about the psychotic, and the psychiatrist collects the rent. In other words, mental illness profoundly affects those who suffer from it as well as those close to the person who has it. Meanwhile, the psychiatric community tries imperfectly to provide support to mental health patients and their loved ones. While the message of this play pertains to everyone touched by mental instability, it is really an in depth look at a father and son who both struggle at different times to maintain their sanity and dignity. Trauma is generational, and this theme is revealed by the dysfunctional relationships between the play’s protagonist and his parents. The Sandcastle is the dramatic and sometimes comical story of a young man who confronts his troubled childhood and manages to find the inner resources to survive and ultimately thrive as a person as well as an artist. This solo show is both an attempt to illuminate and heal from family trauma. The Sandcastle was written by and will be performed by Oliver Sykes. The play’s author is quite candid about his challenging and sometimes demoralizing battle with schizoid affective disorder. He firmly believes that his mental health is a direct result of complex developmental trauma and he hopes to both move and educate his audience. This play is both pertinent and timely as the world struggles more than ever to face mental illness in society at large.Production Team
