Madness - A Preliminary Sketch

By: Neo Muyanga and Sean Baumann

What is madness? In a society with mounting socio-economic needs and wants, bombarded with expectations and aspirations that seem impossible to satisfy, pitted against challenges that appear insurmountable, how might we understand madness in ways that are more progressive and empathic? Can we be less hysterical about how we choose to address the possibilities that madness presents us with today?

Madness is a multi-media work including a choir, live music ensemble and animated drawing. It tracks the demise of a promising young architect into a world of delusion and darkness. With the help of various healers, he sets out on a journey of recovery after suffering a mental breakdown.

This production has been adapted from a full-scale work for ITC 2015.

Composition: Neo Muyanga; libretto: Sean Baumann; drawing and animation: Fiona Moodie and Koeka Stander; performed by: Kwanalytical Chamber Associates (KwaCha).