20/02/2022
Name : Professor Jayashri Kulkarni
Location : Monash University
Title : Intense Description of Psychosis and Eastern Philosophy Woven into a Play
Review : Bee Williamson has written about her grandmother - Christine's - experience of psychosis intertwined with her own eventual experience and diagnosis of schizoaffective disorder. This play weaves Eastern philosophy, English literature characters (Ophelia from Shakespeare's Hamlet) with experiences of distortions to reality and paranoia. Clever use of a 'voice over' to depict her grandmother's experiences result in an imagined conversation and warm relationship across the generations. The women's shared ECT experience is discussed and the comparison of some of the out of body feelings to an LSD 'trip' assists the reader to really feel what Bee went through. This is an intriguing play that makes the reader step into the shoes of someone experiencing psychosis in the 2000s, as well as much earlier (Christine) in the 20th century. It is not an easy read - but it is an important read for anybody who works with, or lives with a person who has experienced psychosis. Bee Williamson is to be congratulated for bringing together diverse strands of philosophy, literature and mental illness to dramatise a 'time travelling' journey through her family experience of psychosis

9/02/2022
Name : Anthony de Castella
Location : Melbourne
Title : An important work
Review : Hamlet's Angel is an insightful, significant recount of a journey with mental illness. A must read for anyone wanting to better understand mental illness and it's impact on lives. Bee Williamson is a talented and skilful writer who blends her own personal story with that of the broader experience of mental illness.