Dear Mum,

Here's what people said about What Have You Done To Me?

"A dynamic engaging theatre performance that pushed forms and turned genres on their heads. A true theatrical delight not to be missed." - Patrick Graham, Director

"Dynamic energy on stage & i eagerly anticipate its hillarious return to the streets of nz theatre!" – Sky Cripps Jackson, hair stylist

"This show was a complete surprise - a totally different approach for theatre and packed full of laugh out loud moments. From the highly energetic and hilarious theatre-sports-cum-dance-mania opening, to the (semi-autobiographical?) gender vs gender couple clash all presented in a variety of guises (gorilla mask killed us), it's a riot. Go and see it. Seriously." -Joseph Jowitt, Film Editor

"This was the first theatre piece I'd ever been to in Auckland that didn't have any pretending in it. The actors were being real, and so was the framework they were performing in" - Cat Ruka, Performance Artist

"This experimental, linked series of vignettes works well on a number of levels, playing with theatre convention and expectations of fact and fiction. It's entertaining and fun, as well as clever and ambitious; and it's well-executed by its brave, bold and committed creators." – Janet McAllister, NZ Herald

"It was severe and entertaining, my sense of what would happen next went on holiday." – John Radford, Artist

"That was more fun than kittens!" – Josh Rutter, choreographer

“Brave and weird and wonderful!! It was askew and funny and crazy...but...every image related back to my life. Figures as much. Genius. Gave my world meaning for a second. Just like really good theatre should." – Morgana O’Reilly, Actress

"Fun, Silly, Bamboozling & Intriguing. Couple that with honesty & just the right amount of pathos. Go see it!" - Ascia Maybury, actor/agent

"I loved this show. It was dangerous, surprising, funny and at times very moving. It was fantastic to see such a different and honest piece of work in Auckland." – Sarah Gallagher, Actor

“This performance made me feel normal in all the right ways; the totally relatable energy and awkwardness of the characters - these are my people. Seeing this production was my gateway back into seeing live theatre. Instead of asking you to suspend disbelief, this productions hides nothing and instead invites you to become part of the performance. Truly fun and engaging. I loved the real-ness of this play. Obsession at its finest.” -Kirsten Van Newtown - Director, Sloth Records

"On our workplace outing to Nisha Madhan and Stephen Bain's 'What Have You Done To Me?' I was moved to displays of joyous hysteria so powerful, I was ostracized by my colleagues the next day. Cheers." - Sarah Thomson, Sometime Actor/Writer & Puppet Enthusiast

"An hilarious, compelling dissection of the surreal brain-wrongs we all possess in the hands of two skilled performers brave enough to 'go there'. The year's favourite. Very highly recommended." - Campbell Melrose-Allen, Designer & Comic Enthusiast

"My favorite thing about it is that it was alive in every aspect... at every moment! The surreal style in both aesthetic and construct was so brave it totally rocked my world!! For sure one of my most favorite bits of ... is it theatre?" – Eve Gordon, Producer/director

"energetic and entertaining. Madhan and Bain are a great duo." - Rosabel Tan, Writer

"What Have You Done To Me was a unique performance to watch, it was visceral, funny and thought provoking whilst having a true sense of authenticity. Thoroughly enjoyed it." - Marita Hewitt, Visual Artist

"I saw that show and it hurt my brain with emotion. I remember every moment of it, I have a lucid recollection of Stephen Bain walking blindly down the stairs with his head in the clouds, I loved the jump suit and the jumping, I loved the phone sex and the piano, I loved it all. So very vital a piece, so different from other theatre, unpretentious, sincere unique, a real joy to be hold, it gave me hope. It gave me hope and inspiration and I thank its creators and I thank God.

I thank God for what you did to me." - Hermione Johnson, Composer

"Dance moves from another realm, Tasty morsels of creative genius and a f*cken scary gorilla." - Brady King, Graphic Designer

“I dragged myself out to this late-night event after a long week and SO GLAD DIDI! I laughed and laughed....and laughed...genius. Whimsical,delightful, ridiculously funny " - Tania Anderson, Actor

"I definitely laughed so hard i cried for days after, actual. I loved that you could be really silly but it came across really cool and deep and hard-hitting." - Tui Gordon, Writer

Thanks everyone - Mum is going to be so proud!

Thank you for coming...

See you soon.

(Image: Robert Mapplethorpe)

2011 Seasons

ALL SHOWS ARE PAY-WHAT-YOU LIKE. BRING CASH AND PAY WHAT YOU THINK IT'S WORTH AT THE END OF THE SHOW.

AUCKLAND

@ THE BASEMENT THEATRE

Friday 4th March @ 8:30pm

Saturday 5th March @ 10pm

Friday 11th March @ 11pm

Saturday 12th March @ 8:30pm

WELLINGTON

@ FRED'S SOUND AND LIGHT EXPLORER'S SOCIETY

Tuesday 8th March @ 8:30pm

Wednesday 9th March @ 8:30pm

I swear I didn't edit this to make myself sound smarter...

SB: So, Nisha Madhan…

NM: Yes, Stephen?

SB: Can you tell me why you wanted to make this show?

NM: Hmm…I decided to make a show about obsession because I was really taken by this book by Sophie Calle called ‘Take Care of Yourself’ which you gave me this year.

SB: Why were you influenced by it? What did you find interesting about it?

NM: Mmmm…What I liked about it is that she took one thing, which was a break up letter from her boyfriend and she processed her grief about it over a hundred times by giving it to over a hundred different female interpreters…and what I found interesting about that is through processing her grief so many times, the letter stopped being an emotional object and turned into something else…like processing fine flour.

SB: Where did you get the title?

NM: I got the title from a love letter that I wrote to you.

SB: Ah, so how did you mean it when you wrote it?

NM: I meant it in a really positive and sexy way! (laughs) but lots of people find it quite a bitter and negative title and it was never meant to be bitter and negative.

SB: Yeah. So…

NM: I think I wanted to celebrate obsession and not be negative about it.

SB: So you think obsession is kind of positive aspect to most people’s lives, I mean what have you found from talking to people about it

NM: Most people talk bout it in a negative way, the accepted psychology seems to be that obsession leads to destruction…

SB: Or dysfunction

NM: Or dysfunction yep. And that’s quite a buddhist philosophy to practice non- attachment to things, but then there is also the idea that attachment to things can lead you down a really enlightening road as well. Like, quite often people will talk about their obsession being about what they want to do with their life, that they’re obsessed by their future and I don’t see that as a negative thing I see that as giving a fuck.

SB: And obsession is something you’re weary of getting caught up in but you kind of crave it too….What’s your favourite colour?

NM: At the moment it’s purple. What’s yours?

SB: It’s been yellow for a long time …and what’s your favourite thing about working with me?

NM: There’s lots of favourite things, making you laugh is pretty awesome…and your enthusiam for ping pong balls is quite weird, and we both like to eat sushi for lunch…

SB: Mmmm and what’s it like making a show in an apartment and for an apartment? Cuz we’ve worked in my apartment and we’ll be performing in your apartment…

NM: We’ve made it in three apartments cuz we worked on it in our apartment in Brussels too…

SB: What’s with that? What’s a good thing about working in an apartment?

NM: uuuuum…

SB: It’s free..

NM: That’s for sure. And I enjoy having my home life and artistic life be one continuous thing. Having the research and objects of the show around me all the time so I can keep considering them throughout the day.

SB: You sound like my kind of girl.

NM: Really?

SB: Yeah, do you want to go out?

NM: Where?

SB: No I mean, like, go around together?

NM: What like pash and stuff?

SB: Yeah.

NM: Okay.

(They pash)

Night of the Gorilla

Performance: Stephen Bain and Nisha Madhan
Images: Francesca Gallo

Premier Spectacle!

It's not a play and there are no characters, there is nosituation and most of the words are made up, or lies, or notthat important. What's left is a cabaret of ideas and

inspirations from the last few months of obsessive living,
thinking, and traveling around.

Got To Have You

By myself and Kerrily Aitchison
Music by Shelia Jack
Shot and edited in Brussels 2010