The Parkin Development Season at Bats Theatre Presents Committed, Written And Performed by Clarissa Chandrahasen
Chris and Kathy Parkin and BATS Theatre are proud to present this year’s Parkin Development Season, Committed, written and performed by Clarissa Chandrahasen. The show debuted to a sold-out season in New Zealand Fringe Festival
2018, where Chandrahasen was nominated for Most Promising Emerging Artist. The show weaves true and humourous stories of
Clarissa Chandrahasen’s experience in the New Zealand mental health system.
The show will have its BATS Theatre premiere in The Heyday Dome on Tuesday, 6th October and run until Saturday, 10th
October 2018.
In 2010, Clarissa Chandrahasen was committed to the psychiatric ward. Her perception of herself as someone immune to
mental illness was shattered by a diagnosis of bipolar disorder. With charm, wit and pathos, Chandrahasen blends the
painfully personal and the powerfully political, illuminating inadequacies in the country’s mental health system.
Chandrahasen says, “I consider Committed my contribution to the fight for more compassionate mental health care in this country.”
The team of eight includes director Tabitha Arthur, who is joining for the BATS Theatre season, alongside designer Rai
Doohan and producer Sabrina Martin.
The Parkin Development Grant was established in partnership with BATS to provide support to a promising work to be
staged as a high quality season at BATS Theatre. The grant is awarded to a Fringe Festival show selected by the Fringe
Festival judges. The Parkin grant is enabled through the generous support of Chris and Kathy Parkin. In 2017, the Parkin
Development Grant was awarded to Paying for It, which had a sell-out season at BATS.
Praise for Committed:
“Committed swerves wonderfully through genuinely wholesome comedy and eye-hollowing social/emotional commentary.” Hamish Boyle, Art Murmurs
Committed plays:
Dates: 06 November – 10 November
Time: 8pm
Venue: The Heyday Dome at BATS Theatre, 1 Kent Tce
Tickets: $20/$15
Bookings: bats.co.nz or (04) 802 4176