Tick is a semi-autobiographical ten-minute play based on my own experience struggling with severe anxiety and panic attacks. A young musician, Alex, prepares for their debut musical performance whilst plagued by constant worry and stress manifested on stage in the form of wall of clocks, constantly ticking in the background of the action. Alex must learn to navigate their struggles in coexistence with the clocks, seeking counsel in family as well as their partner Charlie. A staged reading of the script was performed as a part of a 10 Minute Playfest organized by Theatre 101 students, including myself, at Miami University on December 14, 2023. Read the script here.
The Objectives:
Fundamentally, Tick is meant to achieve two things. First, to demonstrate the experience of anxiety and panic attacks to those unfamiliar to open the door for greater empathy, and two to show those who live with that reality on the daily that they are not alone. The form of a ten-minute play allowed for a journey that created a simple metaphor to provide a basic understanding of these struggles for audiences of all stripes.
The Processes:
Tick features three characters, all of which were written to suit actors of any gender presentation given that anyone can experience anxiety. Alex and their partner Charlie, as well as Alex's parent Logan. Anxiety is represented by means of a wall of clocks in the background, constantly ticking in the background. This ticking never completely goes away, but it rises and falls in speed and volume as Alex’s worry grows or subsides. The play reaches a climax when Alex experiences a panic attack, represented through a cacophony of clocks striking the hour and alarms going off. The relationship between Alex and Charlie is the focus, and is used a means by which to explore how anxiety manifests in daily lives of the characters.