The Wonderful World of Dissocia & Realism

by Anthony Neilson

A two-play edition featuring Anthony Neilson's companion plays, The Wonderful World of Dissocia (2004) and Realism (2006), both produced by the National Theatre of Scotland.

Produced originally for the 2004 Edinburgh International Festival, The Wonderful World of Dissocia wowed critics and audiences alike. This is a hugely original play, both magical and moving, that confirmed Anthony Neilson as one of major voices in contemporary British Theatre. The entire original cast and creative team have been reunited for this keenly anticipated revival.

Lisa Jones is on a journey. It's a colourful and exciting off-kilter trip in search of one lost hour that has tipped the balance of her life. The inhabitants of the wonderful world she finds herself in - Dissocia - are a curious blend of the funny, the friendly and the brutal. As Neilson himself put it, 'If you like Alice in Wonderland but there's not enough sex and violence in it, then Dissocia is the show for you'.

Realism premiered at the Edinburgh International Festival in 2006. It follows the life of one man during an ordinary day but veers off from the commonplace to become a deliriously surreal trip inside his wayward imagination. It was described by the Guardian as a 'bold and utterly distinctive all-singing, all-dancing show, like nothing else you'll ever see'.

Genres: Plays, Theatre

176 pages, Paperback

First published February 28, 2007

About the author

Anthony Neilson (born 1967) is a Scottish playwright and director. He is known for his collabo rative way of writing and workshopping his plays. Much of his work is characterised by the exploration of sex and violence.

Neilson has been cited as a key figure of In-yer-face theatre, a term used to characterise new plays with a confrontational style and sensibility that emerged in British theatre during the 1990s. He has been credited with coining the phrase "in-your-face theatre" but has rejected the label and instead describes his work as “'experiential' theatre”.

Reviews

[Sinem Bardakcı · Rating 4 out of 5]

She puts the headphones on, presses play.
The same tinny music.
But this time, there is no movement.
She just listens.
Lights down.
-I do want to get better.

[Jack Sprat · Rating 3 out of 5]

Dissocia is a beautiful beautiful play, Realism is not...

[laura nicholson · Rating 4 out of 5]

actually really solidly enjoyed this

[B · Rating 4 out of 5]

I just read Dissocia, not Realism. Though I'm kind of curious to read some other stuff that this guy puts out there after Dissocia. It's Alice in Wonderland for adults. How can that suck? It doesn't. There's even goat rape in it. The goat does the raping. Awesome! It's very clever to have the whole first act bee the "Wonderland" piece and then juxtaposing the last act in the real world with that. It's really sad. I mean, Lisa (Alice) is insane, right? She stopped taking her meds. Dissocia is this schizophrenic hallucination. It's so creative and vivid though, I can see how there would be a sense of loss of self when you medicate yourself into numbness to give up on that. But then you see the effect that has on your loved ones and... I mean, it makes sense to stay on your psychiatric meds in order to function in society, certainly, but still. There's so much personality that is given up, that is sacrificed in order to do that. It's sad. I wish there could be more of a balance there.

This play has the potential to be absolutely brilliant in the right hands. In the wrong hands, it has the potential to be absurd sloppy disaster. It is a ballsy play to produce. I hope I get cast. It's been a few days though, so I doubt I did. That sucks. There really aren't that many 30-year-old Alice roles left in the world...

[Kristin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Dissocia was WONDERFUL. Realism was...interesting. Not quite as fabulous to read, but could probably be really neat in production, just awkward to read because there's a disconnect between what is *actually* happening in the real world and the action that occurs on the stage that the audience sees and hears, so you have to decide if you want to read the explanations before each scene or afterwards. If you want to experience it like an audience member, skip the [braketed information] at the start of each scene, but if you're interested in acting in or directing it, that info is really helpful to formulate ideas. For both plays, I recommend reading the production notes that are included at the beginning because they give an idea of how it was actually executed in the original productions, and what the author's vision was. Dissocia is a really great play for actors, directors, and designers (sound, set, costume, light) to read & think about doing

[Kate W · Rating 5 out of 5]

I saw this play with my friend Yun Jae and my step-sister Judy. I read the play a few months later and was transported back into the world of the play. It's one of the best plays I've seen.

[Jack Stacey · Rating 5 out of 5]

Just incredible. Just incredible.

[Helen · Rating 3 out of 5]

i would give dissocia a 4 but realism is possibly the worst play i’ve read ever?