Play tells harrowing tales of psychological domestic abuse
A play highlighting the traumas of women who have been the victims of psychological domestic abuse is being performed in Ayr.
Students at the University of the West of Scotland’s Ayr campus are performing Soulmate, a piece of new writing by Gabriella Baronello, which is based on interview transcripts that she conducted with anonymous women in which they spoke of their past experiences.
The play, to be performed at the University’s studio theatre, will open next week, from November 17- 19, almost a year after England and Wales passed a law on coercive control.
However, Scotland still has no law to protect individuals from this form of abuse.
Masters student Gabriella said: “It’s a difficult subject matter, but an important one. In December last year, psychological domestic abuse, better known as coercive control, became a criminal offence in England and Wales. However, nearly a year later this law has still not been passed in Scotland.
“Previously in England and Wales, the victims had to show cuts and bruises as proof of physical violence. If their partner is holding onto all of their money, or they are a victim of sexual abuse, then you could never actually try the perpetrator in court. The sad thing is, you still can’t do that in Scotland.
“The issue has been debated in the Scottish Parliament, but we want to support the campaign to keep the campaign going to introduce this law in Scotland. It’s very much an issue.”
This new play tells the story of three couples and their intertwining stories of isolation, control and gaslighting that highlight some of the most common patterns of abuse.
Soulmate gives a unique insight into the darker side of human psychology and is based on real- life experiences.
Gabriella explained: “This kind of abuse is malignant and it has a drip effect - it can be very slow, and some people haven’t even realised they were in an abusive relationship until five or 10 years down the line. I was working with Glasgow Women’s Aid and spoke with several anonymous women.
“This is very much focussed on Scottish women’s stories, and it all comes from true narrative.
“I’ve mixed together four or five women’s experience into one, to protect the anonymity of the people I’ve spoken with.
“We want to get people talking and provoke them to think about the issue.”
The story is told through a mixture of spoken word, physical theatre and visual projection, with Gabriella especially keen to use current technology to project examples of text messages.
She added: “We have six actors depicting the three couples, and we have another six on the production team.”
Soulmate will run from November 17- 19. Doors open at 6.30pm. At 7pm an exclusive interview with Dr Sam Vaknin, world leading researcher in Narcissistic psychological abuse, will be screened.
The short documentary also includes additional insight into the research, rehearsal and development process of the play. Performances will take place at 7.30pm with a 15 minute interval.
Visit www. eventbrite. co. uk/ e/ soulmate- tickets- 28419017045 to book.
Tickets availability on the door is limited, and it is advised to book online to avoid disappointment.
Reserved seats for the elderly or disabled are available - contact the Tortoise and Hare page for details.
This production is not suitable to audience members under 16 years of age due to scenes depicting sex and violence.