Degeneration X: A New Multi Media Play
Co-Created by Leah Bachar & Meredith Edwards
XAVIER IS A STRUGGLING ARTIST living in Brooklyn, but lately his struggles have reached far beyond his normal, daily routine. The life he lives is slowly becoming a life he doesn’t recognize. Odd occurrences, strange feelings and a powerful turn of events propel Xavier to further explore the inner workings
of his mind.
After a trip to the psychologist, who then refers him for a psychiatric evaluation, after which he is transferred to a neurologist, Xavier comes to find that he may have a rare condition called Charles Bonnet Syndrome. CBS is a macular degenerative disease that causes one to visually hallucinate. The syndrome is coupled with the fact that Xavier is in danger of losing his sight. With the effects of Charles Bonnet, Xavier is caught in a struggle between what is real and what is not, questioning his mental state and exploring that which he considers his reality. For the first time, he is being confronted by images and emotions that have lived in the recesses of his brain, but are now taking an apparent, clear, and sometimes physical form. With the arrival of his sister, an abrasive roommate, his intellectual equal, and an unconventional relationship, Xavier encounters a cast of characters who allow him a new way of perceiving the world around him. Xavier’s battle to find his place within these new realities is accelerated by the fact that while his sight is weakening, he is also diving deeper into an alternate world which may not be the safest place to be.
Degeneration X uses live performance, film, motion graphics, illustration, and music to chronicle the different pockets of one man’s neurosystem. As Xavier drives through his condition, the audience takes front seat on a surreal and rousing ride through the human mind. Degeneration X experiments with the light, the dark, the absurd, and the unexplainable aspects of the human condition.
of his mind.
After a trip to the psychologist, who then refers him for a psychiatric evaluation, after which he is transferred to a neurologist, Xavier comes to find that he may have a rare condition called Charles Bonnet Syndrome. CBS is a macular degenerative disease that causes one to visually hallucinate. The syndrome is coupled with the fact that Xavier is in danger of losing his sight. With the effects of Charles Bonnet, Xavier is caught in a struggle between what is real and what is not, questioning his mental state and exploring that which he considers his reality. For the first time, he is being confronted by images and emotions that have lived in the recesses of his brain, but are now taking an apparent, clear, and sometimes physical form. With the arrival of his sister, an abrasive roommate, his intellectual equal, and an unconventional relationship, Xavier encounters a cast of characters who allow him a new way of perceiving the world around him. Xavier’s battle to find his place within these new realities is accelerated by the fact that while his sight is weakening, he is also diving deeper into an alternate world which may not be the safest place to be.
Degeneration X uses live performance, film, motion graphics, illustration, and music to chronicle the different pockets of one man’s neurosystem. As Xavier drives through his condition, the audience takes front seat on a surreal and rousing ride through the human mind. Degeneration X experiments with the light, the dark, the absurd, and the unexplainable aspects of the human condition.
