‘The smile can hide all the pain…‘
The Rhinestone Cowboy is a darkly humorous, raw, and emotive one-woman play written and performed by Edinburgh-based poet Hjarta and co-produced with audiovisual artist Harry Bongo.
Based on a true story and written by a real-life mother and son duo, this high-octane production maps a young man’s tumultuous journey from Scotland to Iceland. Pulsating sound design fused with bold visual projections provide a visceral backdrop to a blistering trip from one emotional landscape to another.
Written as a tribute to Dan The Man, the work celebrates his kaleidoscopic life – whose humor, charm and resilience masked internal demons.
‘Rhinestone’ was written as a tribute to the lead character, Dan The Man. A young man with a glittering start to his new life in a bold new country who tragically succumbed to the demons that lived in his head. This play poses the question:
She says: “We hope that the play delivers not only a unique and relevant perspective of what it may be like to suffer from schizophrenia and psychotic episodes, but that it also raises the stark issue of suicide in young men in our society – across borders and countries.”
Why is suicide still a taboo subject? Should we be allowed to make the choice to take our own life if we are living a life of pain, even if it means leaving behind a wave of grief? How do we support those who feel it is the one way to peace?
The writer, Hjarta, has collaborated with a Scottish mental health charity, Change, to learn more about the effects of schizophrenia that sufferers face on a day-to-day basis.
Harry Bongo and Hjarta previously collaborated on her filmed poem ‘Persevere – Here’, a love letter to Leith.
