A multimedia, multidisciplinary theatre production created by artist Kagan Goh, Surviving Samsara is a deeply personal story that traces Kagan’s struggles with manic depression. Drawing on a collection of poems and short stories written over a period of 20 years, Surviving Samsara offers intimate insights into an ‘insider’s’ experience of madness as a survivor and traces Kagan’s journey towards recovery, acceptance and unconditional self-love. The project seeks to expose the damaging effects of the stigma on mental illness, and explore manic depression not only as a disorder, but as a spiritual emergence – a vehicle for personal growth, healing and transcendence.
Initially conceived as a multimedia, multidisciplinary theatre production, the work has evolved to include several performance readings, a short film The Day My Cat Saved My Life (2020) and, most recently, a memoir published by Caitlin Press. This project is co-produced by Cinevolution Media Arts Society and Theatre Terrific, with generous support from many quarters.