When entering the BATS Dome space to watch Your Body is a Wasteland, the audience can see cardboard boxes forming a tall wall that reaches up to the roof. The floor is covered in discarded boxes and furniture, as well as rubbish, creating an atmosphere that brings to mind a wasteland. Attention is immediately drawn to the video playing on the back wall/ It seems to be preparing the audience for life in the wasteland.

Finn McCauley enters as The Wanderer, who has been travelling the wasteland for nine years in search of The Seer: a powerful being who promises a painless escape from the wasteland and the struggle it brings. Throughout the show, video elements show us glimpses of The Wanderer’s past. These include her seemingly lost lover (Zachary Klein) and a scientist (Hayden Frost) who attempts to explain the extent of the apocalyptic situation to come.

Through audio elements, we learn that Tom (Hamish Boyle) is using tapes left by The Wanderer to track her down, in order to warn her that The Seer may not be all they appear to be. As The Wanderer travels, we see the depth of her struggle to simply survive the wasteland, which clearly represents her own body, and to find her community.

A graffiti covered brick wall is used to show how far The Wanderer has travelled at different points of the show. The tags on the wall are different each time, often funny, and they effectively break the tension between scenes.

The back wall is also used to project the audio we hear from Tom who uses a radio to communicate with Nina (Marija Stanisic) back at his base. We also hear from a spokesperson (Slaine McKenzie) and Emma Maguire. These audio elements provide a unique experience that helps draw the audience as they connect with Tom without meeting him in person.

The video elements are another factor that help create a unique experience. Frost comes across as logical and calculating, perfectly fitting his role. Similarly, Klein is simply charming as Luke, and helps the audience connect with what The Wander has lost.

McCauley brilliantly captures the constant pain of living with chronic health conditions and the battle to survive – although some light and shade may be useful in order to make her many powerful moments even more impactful.

Boyle brings a comforting presence that adds to his dynamic with McCauley. He manages to bring exactly what is needed for both the show and the audience.

It is clear that this is a deeply personal show for creator and director Emma Maguire, who writes in the programme: “I wrote Your Body is a Wasteland because frankly, my body is.” The world in the show is reminiscent of the video game Fallout, only ‘the end of the world’ is triggered when your health takes a turn.

Maguire has taken a lived experience with chronic health conditions and told this story in a way that is both entertaining and easy to understand. As someone who relates to living with chronic pain, this show is very important and meaningful to me. My regards to everyone involved in creating this impactful story.

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