From writer and actor Dan Goodwin, Chrome Dome and Schizo is a new play that’s at once funny, unique, and heartbreaking. Part poem, part prose, and part play, the work is both a gay love story and an unexpected coming of age as the titular character navigates his mental health diagnosis.
Grief and loss sit alongside celebration and acceptance. With clever dialogue and the central relationship between the titular characters, Goodwin draws attention to the social constructions around diagnosis.
“Not everything is because you’re sick,” Schizo tells Chrome Dome. By the end of the play, the audience is left wondering whether Schizo is speaking to himself.
Set in the intimate Basement Theatre, the set design also shines. Paige Pomana and Paul Bennett of sound design and lighting utilise both elements to really convey a sense of scene. As the play dips in and out of “reality”, Goodwin riffs off the audience, addressing them directly and drawing them into the inner world of Schizo’s thoughts. The lights and sound become unseen characters, creating a rich inner and outer world on the confines of the stage.
Intimate, raw, compelling.
Chrome Dome and Schizo is on at the Basement Theatre until 20 August.
Photo: John Rata Photography