Faustine: A Dissertation. A Confession. A Mental Breakdown is a one-person horror musical/pop-opera. The two-person company behind the show rotate jobs, with one member performing and one acting as the production’s technician. When STARBURST saw the show, Sarah Norcross performed the title role, leaving the tech desk in the hands of Lydia Brinkmann.
The plot begins with Faustine hesitantly presenting her PhD research project, at what seems to be her final thesis defence. In the UK this would be called a viva, and as awful as that process is, it’s nothing compared to what Faustine has to contend with, presenting her work publicly, with just one publishing contract up for grabs amongst the entire graduating cohort. If this wasn’t enough horror in itself, there is suddenly a jump scare, and it becomes apparent that Faustine has become demonically possessed. How we got to that situation, in this thesis defence, is the story we are told throughout the rest of the show.
It is quickly established that Faustine has been under an immense amount of pressure. Attempting to survive a PhD on a small stipend is difficult enough, but Faustine also has few friends, a largely absent boyfriend, and a mother who doesn’t really seem to understand her daughter’s desire for academic advancement. The plot follows the usual beats you’d expect from a Faustian tale: there’s a deal made with the Devil which then spirals out of control as Faustine’s appetites and desires become more extreme.
There’s some intriguing use of music, and a microphone, but it’s not entirely clear what’s trying to be signalled in the shift between amplified and a capella sound. The songs themselves are fine – like if someone had put Spinal Tap in a blender with Fleetwood Mac.
The main issue is that, for a piece billed as ‘horror theatre’, there’s not much horror after that initial jump scare. There’s little tension: everything just feels inevitable, and Faustine doesn’t even really seem resist. The sole moment of questioning her behaviour seems to come after she allows herself to be seduced by an eminent professor. When the next deal is bargained for, there are seemingly no objections raised.
There is a small moment of questioning, when Faustine has a moment of clarity the night before her thesis defence, but it ultimately comes to nothing. If the piece is attempting to portray the turmoil and oftentimes despair felt by PhD research students, then it’s a reasonable piece of theatre. But as an example of the horror genre, there’s not enough tension, either emotional or physical.
A brave attempt at a new take on the classic tale of Faust, there is potential here, but perhaps a little more work needs to be done on how the story is being told, to make narrative beats both clearer and stronger.
Faustine: A Dissertation. A Confession. A Mental Breakdown continues at 21:35 in Theatre 3 at The Space @ Surgeon’s Hall, until August 9.
