Rattled: A spotlight on postnatal mental health

Rattled is Missmanaged Theatre’s debut production, both written and performed by the multitalented Rachel Harper. She bravely uses her platform to raise awareness of mental health problems in new mothers, half of whom are said to experience it in their lives. This play is an eye-opening statement on a problem that is underreported and underdiagnosed, likely due to stigma and traditional ideas of motherhood.

The play centres around one such character, Em, whom we meet on a train platform, along with what she thinks is a stranger’s baby. This baby becomes her audience, with whom she begins to share her life’s story, her confessions, her secrets – and we, as the real audience, are privy to all this. She takes us on a journey through her turbulent, traumatic childhood and disappointing marriage, littering the dialogue with moments of sombreness and bursts of dark humour. This is what I especially loved – despite the seriousness of the content, it is deeply witty; even with dark subject matter there are light moments. Sometimes it is genuinely comic; other times, Em is using humour to gloss over damaging life experiences with a blasé tone and sarcastic quip, nervously laughing the way people do when they talk about something uncomfortable.

It is techniques like this that allow this play to function so successfully as a one-woman play; although there are no other characters to interact with, there is never any dullness or struggle to keep the audience engaged. Even in the necessary moments of silence, there is a gravity and intention behind the choice, where the audience can absorb the words and the emotions.

This is all thanks to Harper, because since she both writes and performs the piece, she is able to present it authentically, exactly as intended. The way she naturally communicates is so raw and vulnerable; there is a fascinating ‘stream of consciousness’ feel to the whole thing. Whilst it was humour that engaged the audience and kept us listening, I’m sure we all left having been touched by themes that we could relate to – loneliness, struggle, fear, desperation, resilience, courage, and overcoming hurdles – even if the exact situation itself wasn’t shared by all.

At the end of the play, Harper says a few words about how the story is inspired by a real woman she met who shared her experiences with postnatal mental health. To me, this highlighted the very real nature of the play, and that the content was not just entertainment, but a wonderful starter for meaningful conversations about mental health. Highly recommended!

-4 stars