4.48 Psychosis

4.48 Psychosis is a play written by Sarah Kane, which was not produced until her death in 1999. The play reflects the life of a person suffering from clinical depression, from which Kane suffered. The play is believed to represent her experience with depression which ultimately led to her suicide. Contemplation and discussion of suicide are prominent and while there is no strict narrative or timeline, certain issues and events are clearly dealt with: deciding whether to take medication to treat depression, the desires of the depressed mind, the effects and effectiveness of medication, self-harm, suicide and the possible causes of depression. Other themes that run throughout the script, in addition to depression, are those of isolation, dependency, relationships, and love.

Design

My design for the poster of the play in many ways is a reflection of the major themes of the play. Specifically what happens to the mind when one takes medication for severe depression. Several times in the play, the main character refers to her mental state while medicated as void of personality or life. The items you see in the poster are pills, an obvious reference to the medication, but to take this a step further I removed the majority of color from the image, leaving this "tabula rasa" or blank slate feeling left with the viewer. The tossed and jumbled title is also a reference to the life of someone suffering from clinical depression. Often times it is not neat, orderly, or pleasant.