This FringeNext offering is one of several shows produced by high school students. Performed at the Art Academy Commons, it’s an intriguing vignette following a teenager’s struggles with depression. Written by Lili Prophater, the show stars Brian Otten as the depressed Hale and Ryan Smith as Kenric, Hale’s depression manifest. Prophater’s script both struggles and shines. In attempting to create a high school vibe, a litany of fart jokes feels overly immature. But a series of English lectures on the climax of Macbeth cleverly parallels Hale’s struggles with the unraveling of Shakespeare’s iconic madman. Prophater’s inclusion of Kenric is the show’s most creative and compelling facet. The character represents a physical embodiment of Hale’s depressed conscience, encouraging him to avoid his friends and schoolwork, providing a powerful visualization of the debilitating impact of depression.Otten’s Hale and Smith’s Kenric are supported by a cast of school friends. Though their character development is superficial, with the bulk of the one-act play devoted to an exploration of Hale’s inner turmoil, these roles are passionately performed. They provide comic relief, counterbalancing the weighty subject matter. Tyler Gilkey as Chance, for example, comically obsesses over “Oracles of Beverly Hills,” a fictitious part-reality, part-fantasy television show.Lizzie Lotterer, as Hale’s girlfriend Carter, demonstrates the deep empathy for those dealing with mental illness that underpins the heart of the show. Her nuanced performance, at once dealing with the anger of an ignored partner and the desire to help a clearly hurting boyfriend, conveys the difficulty experienced by the loved ones of the mentally ill. When Carter explains to Hale that “everything is not OK” but that healing is possible, a deep understanding for the difficulties and complexities of depression is evident. In all, Seen, but not Touched marks a promising debut from a young playwright and a compassionate cast unafraid to tackle serious, difficult issues with equal parts humor and dignity.Griffin Daly was recently recognized by the Cincinnati Cappies for writing the season’s outstanding critique. He is a student at Walnut Hills High School.
This article appears in Jun 1-8, 2016.
