You look Okay To Me - Blog
- Anna van Miert
- Oct 25, 2024
- 1 min read
Welcome to the blog section of my site. I wanted to create an interactive page where anyone who views the site can leave a comment or ask questions or share their own experience of chronic illness. Turns out I don't have the tech skills to make that happen in a flashy and gorgeous way but you can leave a comment under this post.
Thanks for visiting :)
It was honestly inspiring to see your performance Anna, knowing how much of yourself you have poured into this and how much it means. Creatively examining the lived experiences you go through every day, holding a mirror to parts of your life which are beyond the experiences of most of us, but displayed as a normal, quotidian aspect of everyday life for you felt enormously powerful. As an audience member to watch it was openly vulnerable, brutally honest and, at times, hilarious - making it refreshing and original in it's form.
If the purpose was to spark conversations around living with chronic illness, it has surpassed it's aims and is a poignant piece on the consequences of there being a…
This is a really fantastic and in-depth look at the development process of the show and as you say while you still have bits and pieces to look at and to develop, I think that the core of the show is so so strong and the writing really achieves what you seem to have set out to do so far in terms of reflecting both of your definitions of absurdity. It's very funny and overwhelming and confusing and yet clear in what it's aiming to get across and successful in getting those things across. I think the most interesting thing you've touched on is further experimentation with seeing itself as a performance and a play and the role of the…
It was interesting listening to Anna talk about her original idea for the show (break up with a BF) as it made me read the performance as a toxic relationship with her body. The relationship feels as though its still being negotiated and worked through, and I wonder if there's a dramaturgy that allows Anna to share this fluid experience with the audience in a more active/participatory way. I also wonder if it's worth thinking about making the performance flexible enough that Anna could share what experiences she is going through in the moment ie is today 'good' or 'bad.'
I have this illness and there are so many issues surrounding visibility and people believing us. I have never seen a piece of theatre explore these themes and I think what Anna has done is admirable, brave and incredibly creative. I can relate to the experiences Anna discusses in this show, I feel deeply moved by her openness in creatively exploring how a life with a chronic illness is lived. It is one full of exhausting compromises, trauma and grief. A life lived with a complex and misunderstood chronic illness is a life robbed of the life you had, and the thought you would have. I think Anna does an great job at beginning to try and communicate this to…
I absolutely loved watching your practical Anna, it is no mean feat to write and perform something so vulnerable but to do it with such nuance, sensitivity and humour is something else. Hearing you discuss your process only cemented how much of yourself you have poured into this piece and I have nothing but admiration for you. You've made something very special and important and I cannot wait to see where it goes! There's some serious legs on this show. Get her to the fringe!