Little Brother, Big Sister

Do you think life will ever be like it was?

Michel, Little Brother Big Sister

Little Brother, Big Sister is thought-provoking, poignant and beautiful. Written by up-and-coming playwright Michel Tuomy, the piece is told through multiple modes, including storytelling, the retelling of remembered experience and retelling as if re-experiencing past situations. The play explores the trials and tribulations of living with schizophrenia, both as the carer and consumer (a word that refers to a mental health patient). The play’s tone is thoughtful and contemplative, and aims to typify the lives that are interrupted by schizophrenia and other forms of mental illness.

Little Brother (Michel) is on the verge of artistic discovery after writing his first novel Hipflask, while his Big Sister (Karen) is gallivanting Europe to pursue her creative dreams. Despite being worlds apart, the pair retain their sibling bond through frequent communication. As time progresses, Michel’s letters start to become irrational and nonsensical. Michel proclaims that he is in close contact with renowned – and deceased – artists Joan Miro and Franz Kafka. Fearful of her brother’s deteriorating sense of reality, Karen feels compelled to sacrifice her dreams and return home to support her little brother.

Michel Tuomy, the creator of Little Brother, Big Sister, began writing his first draft of the play in 2013. Fictionalised, but drawn from real-life experiences, the story’s premise was inspired by a social worker who had to resign from her vocation as a painter to care and work alongside a loved one who had been diagnosed with schizophrenia. Tuomy also identifies with lived experience of schizophrenia. This life challenge has shaped his writing and heavily influenced his first professional theatre production of Little Brother, Big Sister.

‘I want to portray the human faces of mental illness. Yes, people with schizophrenia do have delusions and fantasies, but they also have emotional relationships and contribute to society … I wish to leave behind the stigmatised profile of people who share my diagnosis,’ says Tuomy.

The fruition of Little Brother, Big Sister has been possible through an arts mentorship program facilitated through the NDIS, where Michel’s mentor – and often referred to as his inspiration – Tania Smith encouraged and fostered him to take his writing to a professional level.

This performance highlights the emotional strain, tension and ultimately the joy of a family living with a distinctive and unruly mental illness. Director Cathy Hunt (What Every Girl Should Know, Love/ Chamberlain) states that ‘this play has heart, it takes the unusual step of speaking directly about how schizophrenia can impinge on your life, but more than that, it shows how vital the role of a carer is in letting people know they are not alone.’

Little Brother, Big Sister features two actors on stage with a minimalistic set. Adam Cass as Michel and Jane Barry as Karen depict their roles with extraordinary sensitivity, commitment and authenticity. The dialogue throughout the play is beautifully poetic and well scripted. In Michel and Karen’s relationship, we see the strength of human relationships in the most trying of times, and what it is to be vulnerable while processing the changing composition of our own minds and lives. The raw themes explored in this performance are enhanced by the incredible artworks displayed and referred to throughout the show, created by local artist Elyss McCleary.

‘Everyone had difficulties in their lives. I want to show the extremes of psychosis on one side where you’re just totally isolated… but also having that clinch relationship between siblings [and] with the people who come and support you,’ comments Tuomy.

Little Brother, Big Sister’s season was scheduled at the incredibly supportive and safe space La Mama Theatre during Schizophrenia Awareness Week, however, has tragically had to postpone (for a second year in a row) after their opening night due to current Victorian COVID lockdown measures.

Little Brother, Big Sister
La Mama Courthouse, 349 Drummond Street, Carlton, 3053
lamama.com.au/whats-on/summer-autumn-2021/little-brother-big-sister

Image: Darren Gill