Do you have trouble staying on task? Thoughts always running a million miles a minute? Then have we got the seminar for you! Alec Toller directs, and co-stage manages 13 Plays About ADHD All At The Same Time, a pseudo-seminar designed to help audience members understand a bit more about life with ADHD. Featuring a group of wildly talented comedians, 13 Plays About ADHD All At The Same Time is a genuine, and hilarious, exploration of life with ADHD.

13 Plays About ADHD All At The Same Time starts out as a seminar: there are two hosts using all of the stereotypical buzzwords and dynamic presentation styles we’ve come to know and make fun of. Throughout their ‘presentation’ there are ensemble members who help the hosts to provide examples of what the various steps of ADHD look like. However, there’s tension between the hosts and the ensemble: love affairs, struggles for power, the desire to do a detailed monologue about their childhood. Full of laughs, but also moments of deep truths and introspection, 13 Plays About ADHD All At The Same Time is riveting and heartfelt from the first moment to the last.

This production uses a fair amount of audience participation. The cast makes it very clear when they want you to participate, and no one is forced to do anything. Producing the play in an intimate venue like The Assembly Theatre lends itself to this kind of interactive performance; they don’t even need to bring the house lights up, it’s easy to see and hear the other audience members as they speak. The interactivity of the play not only speaks to the seminar formatting, but also to how many of these experiences are truly shared ones.

Personally, the “shame pit” section really spoke to me. Though it’s certainly an intensely emotional moment in the play, it’s also I think one of the most relatable as well. Shame and guilt are so difficult to unravel, not only from one another but from ourselves, that it’s very easy to see how we can get mired down in the “shame pit”.

Sharjil Rasool and Danny Pagett star as the hosts of the seminar. Not only to they have incredible chemistry with one another, they use that same charm to interact with the audience. They are joined by Jon Blair, Chloé Sullivan, and Jillian Welsh as the ensemble. All of these comedians are putting their talents to their best use, combining physical comedy, traditional jokes, and audience participation to create a unique experience. You could go and see this show every single night and there’ll be something new and different every time, and this cast is perfectly equipped to handle it all.

13 Plays About ADHD All At The Same Time ends with a song about the importance of support and friendship, particularly for those with ADHD. The tag like of the chorus is “Cuz it’s you, you’re the one who pulls me through.” Tears were streaming down my face as I held my fiancé’s hand, knowing how much we’ve gotten each other through in the past 5 years. We all have that person who’s going to come to mind as we sing this song, and it’s such a beautiful way to conclude the play: with gratitude for the people around us who get us through the day to day with love and understanding.

For more information and tickets, visit: Circlesnake

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Cover photo: The cast of 13 Plays About ADHD All At The Same Time. Photo by Alec Toller

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