UNCONSCIOUS

Writer & Director: Nigel Slaughter

Producer: Janine Swainson

The Meteor, 13-15 November 2025

"Everyone has their own committee inside them, arguing about what to do next." - Nigel Slaughter

Twenty plus years in the making and finally Nigel Slaughter can breathe a sigh of relief that his passion project Unconscious has made it to the stage.

Unconscious follows the story of Sophia Ingari (Abigail von Ahsen) who is developing “genomic screening with predictive modelling to generate personalised nutrition profiles” (translation: with a quick swab, you’ll be able to find out what junk food your body can tolerate without any negative side effects).  This is an interesting concept, but Slaughter dialled the narrative up several notches by contemporaneously exploring Sophia’s thoughts.  "Everyone has their own committee inside them, arguing about what to do next."

In order to achieve this, Unconscious featured ten actors across 27 roles in this sci-fi drama that included many laugh-out-loud one-liners. The voices in Sophia’s head become people that she interacts with on a daily basis, from the barista to her parents.

As Sophia, von Ahsen’s undertaking was massive. She played the stressed-out executive competently and was reliable throughout. Mel Martin-Booker (Vor) is generally found in a production team or the director’s seat, but it was fantastic to see her back in her element commanding the stage. Janine Swainson (Lilith/Violet/Amethyst) leant into her natural vivaciousness while also adding savvy nuances that enhanced each of her characters.

Poppy Fox-Worthington (Brigid) had a minor role but provided major impact to the storyline. Molly McGrath (Eris/Alizarin/Max Ruse/Sam Scarlett/Chris Cherry) was a triumph with unique portrayals and astonishingly good accent work.  Cat Dwyer (Tyche/Ginger/Clementine/Amber/Saffron Karma/Valencia) was perfectly cast as various zany, fun-loving characters. Jared Wooldridge (Ullr/Lawyer/Dad) is an utterly dependable actor and again delivered compelling performances. Stef Gibson-Muir (Oghma/Michaela Green/Mum) showcased her versatility with her authentic character work. Dave Moore (Tiw/Blueberry/Tutor) was exceptionally witty and energetic. Moore and Wooldridge both delivered masterclasses in humourous exasperation. Year Six student Emily Aquilina (young Sophia) gave an adept and beautifully sombre performance. Aquilina’s quiet presence and strength belied her age.

There were a couple of moments where a touch more voice projection would have made some punchlines more impactful. Ambient dialogue was overwhelming on occasion, detracting from the main action. At other times, the ambient dialogue was astoundingly good, especially for those able to follow two conversations simultaneously.

Swainson skilfully curated convincing costumes, and multi-talented Dwyer was the hair and makeup lead. The stage crew were kept busy with numerous movements of set pieces. An edit of props and reduction in overall set pieces for the mainstage will slicken the pace. There are no notes for the alternative performance area, it was beautifully dressed.

Slaughter is a man of many talents. He took on writing, directing, set design (BRAVO), graphics, sound, music, and lighting design for Unconscious. In each area, he excelled. There were multiple moving parts, but he tied all the threads together and finished with a work that will challenge audiences to reconsider their decisions of the past, and actions in the future.

Unconscious has an unexpected concept, an unexpected set reveal, and an unexpected baddie. This is a play for lovers of sci-fi, and especially for anyone who has ever battled with the voices in their own heads.

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