REVIEW: 13 Plays About ADHD All At The Same Time is true to its title

iPhoto caption: 13 Plays About ADHD All At The Same Time graphic courtesy of Circlesnake Productions.

Reviews

/By Caroline Bellamy / Oct 8, 2024

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This review contains mild spoilers.

In a world defined by packed schedules and hyper-productivity, Alec Toller’s 13 Plays About ADHD All At The Same Time finds beauty in forgetfulness, lateness, and pure goofiness.

Running from until October 13 at Assembly Theatre on Queen Street West, this Circlesnake Productions offering is a truly unique experience. After winning a Dora Award for Best Ensemble with Sex T-Rex’s Swordplay, playwright and director Alec Teller has strung together a hilarious yet heartfelt commentary that explores the complexities of ADHD in the present day. 

From the moment the audience enters the theatre, it’s clear this will be no ordinary performance. Mini notebooks and pens greet each guest on their chair. The show begins 15 minutes late, with cast members stalling as they await the arrival of co-host Danny Pagett, who bursts in, frazzled and backpack in tow, setting the tone for the evening’s controlled chaos.

Hosts Sharjil Rasool and Pagett then attempt to guide the audience through a 13-step guide to “unlock the power of ADHD.” Their efforts are continually derailed by supporting cast members Jon Blair, Jillian Welsh, and Chloé Sullivan. This constant struggle for control of the narrative becomes a metaphor for the ADHD experience itself — a mind pulled in multiple directions at once.

The play toggles between moments of hilarious absurdity — fighting icebergs and monsters on a makeshift pirate ship — and poignant reflection. In one particularly moving segment, “The Shame Pit,” the cast shares an email Toller received after he repeatedly failed to meet a deadline. The audience is then invited to share their own moments of skin-crawling embarrassment; on opening night, one fellow audience member said that they mixed up the dates for the play and came to the showing a week before their friends were going, and another shared how long it takes her to start working after she arrives at the office. After each vulnerable moment, the cast and audience purged the embarrassment by singing together, “That was bad, but you’re not bad,” creating a powerful moment of communal vulnerability.

Toller’s script, brought to life by this talented ensemble, finds the value and joy in the often-stigmatized symptoms of ADHD. Scattered thoughts and playful spirits are celebrated, rather than ridiculed. Many cast members, including Toller himself, have ADHD, lending authenticity and lived experience to the production. During one segment, the hosts play a version of Jeopardy! with the audience, in which spectators are asked to guess which embarrassing stories the hosts tell actually happened to a cast member. Written on an easel and sheet of paper is a series of keywords; audience members pick one, and the host tells a story related to the keyword, the audience then shouts out true or false. Plot twist: Every story told in this segment is true. 

Throughout the play, Pagett continuously breaks from the seminar to express his concern to Rajool that the play is not on track because they fail to control Blair, Welsh, and Sullivan. After step six (out of 13 total), Pagett appears to forget a line and asks the stage manager for help, it then becomes apparent that there is no rest of the play. Blair soon appears on stage as “the task that time forgot monster,” and cast members must work together to overcome it. 

13 Plays About ADHD All At The Same Time is more than just a play about ADHD; it’s a vibrant celebration of neurodiversity, a plea for understanding, and a reminder that there’s beauty in our imperfections. In a world that often demands rigid conformity and constant productivity, Toller and his ensemble offer a joyous, messy alternative – one that embraces the full spectrum of the human experience.

While the play’s structure may occasionally leave you feeling as scattered as its protagonists, its heart, humour, and raw honesty will keep your thoughts churning well into the night. For those seeking a theatrical experience as unique and vibrant as the neurodiverse community it represents, 13 Plays About ADHD All At The Same Time is not to be missed. Toller may have set out to create something “so dumb they’d take his Dora away,” but he’s ended up with a smart, empathetic, and wildly entertaining exploration of the ADHD experience.

13 Plays About ADHD All At The Same Time runs at Assembly Theatre until October 13. Tickets are available here.

Intermission reviews are independent and unrelated to Intermission’s partnered content. Learn more about Intermission’s partnership model here.

WRITTEN BY

Caroline Bellamy

Caroline Bellamy is a freelance writer and designer based out of Toronto. She recently graduated from the University of Toronto, where she studied medical anthropology and Spanish. During her undergraduate degree, she served on The Varsity's masthead for three years, most recently as the creative director. Her writing appears in The Varsity and Maclean's. She is passionate about storytelling, painting, and cats.

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