Synopsis

A sparse living room. Lisa tunes a guitar string higher and higher until it snaps, her face blank and distant.

Lisa Jones, a woman in her thirties, embarks on a surreal journey to the world of Dissocia in search of a lost hour that has thrown her life out of balance. In Act One, she encounters a bizarre cast of characters in a colourful, chaotic realm where reality bends and shifts. As Lisa seeks her missing hour, she grapples with questions of identity, mental health, and the nature of perception. Act Two abruptly shifts to a stark psychiatric ward, where Lisa struggles with the harsh realities of treatment and the consequences of her fantastical experiences.

Neilson’s play is a daring exploration of mental illness that challenges audiences to consider the line between imagination and delusion. Through its radical shift in tone and style between acts, the play examines themes of reality, perception, and the cost of conformity. The vibrant, absurdist first act contrasts sharply with the bleak naturalism of the second, forcing viewers to confront their own assumptions about sanity and the nature of theatrical representation.