You Are (Not) Okay – Review by Barbara Dooley

Subject to Change Theatre’s “You Are (Not) Okay” by Joshua Woodall tackles a problem of epidemic scale in the U.S., teen depression. The opening scene sets the tone with The Boy being interrogated and challenged by his concerned but suffocating parents. Faintly reminiscent of cop shows with each parent alternating between good cop-bad cop, the audience feels both sympathy and exasperation with The Boy.

In the following scenes, some of which may be a dream, some real-world encounters, The Boy is confronted by a number of strong characters, (Chelsea Leaver and Korrie Murphy are particularly effective in their roles as The Girl and The Other), who both question and support him at the same time.

The pacing of the show is brisk, the set simple and creatively used, the dialogue interesting and often humorous. You Are (Not) Okay tackles an important social problem for today’s families in a fresh and interesting way.