A theatre maker and performer who struggled with ADHD as a teenager has created a musical to break down the "stigma" of the condition.
Dora Colquhoun, a 33 year-old from Allerton, has worked in the theatre industry for over a decade. Dora struggled with jobs, dating and self-acceptance before being diagnosed with the condition.
Dora decided to create ‘ADHD The Musical: Can I Have Your Attention Please?’, based on her own experiences with the condition. She said: “For me, I felt restless and not fully understanding of my own behaviour. With jobs, I was constantly wanting to do something new.”
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When she was diagnosed, she learnt how to utilise that information, such as exercising regularly and accepting her own behaviour. During lockdown, she decided to tell her own story through musical theatre.
Dora said: “This show is about my experience of being diagnosed with ADHD as an adult, and looking back on my life and thinking, ‘oh that makes so much sense’ about the decisions I made. Losing things, maybe being a bit risky, saying inappropriate things.”
However, Dora wanted to make these stories exciting for audiences, and came up with an ingenious method to do so - performing as Dolly Parton, Julie Andrews and Cher. She said: “When I'm telling these stories that are embarrassing and difficult, I find it hard to describe those experiences as me.”
“So then I thought, who are my superheroes? Who gives me strength? Imagine if I told these really embarrassing, excruciating stories as Dolly Parton with a wig on?”
The musical tells true stories from Dora’s life, including dating and interview disasters. She believes one of the most effective aspects of the show is The Bear of Shame, symbolising the struggle with self-acceptance.
Dora said: “It represents that horrible voice which tells you you’re not enough. I think that is what we’re exploring in different ways, and how the bear of shame can just appear and pull you into a place where you don’t feel good.”
Through this, the performer believes she is opening up a conversation on how society views ADHD. She said: “I started to create this world where I could reveal these quite difficult things and talk about the shame of having ADHD. There is shame when you don’t fit in with how society wants you to.”
Dora argues that many people who have seen the show have told her that they have gone on to receive a diagnosis, or understand a family member with the condition far better. Nevertheless, she believes the musical’s themes of insecurity and low self-esteem resonate with everyone.
Dora said: “It's about accepting yourself for who you are. It's about somebody trying to overcome these difficult things and saying, ‘I'm going have to accept myself for who I am.’”
Dora was keen to not showcase having ADHD as being completely good or bad either. She said: “I don’t think it's good to say, ‘I've got a superpower’, because I don’t think that's an accurate description. I wanted to share the positives and the negatives. Like anything, it's got grey areas.”
Through the show's production, Dora has been aided by a range of people, from directors and producers to neuroscientists and the ADHD Foundation, a Liverpool based charity. She said: “I was lucky to come across all these people that were pushing the project forward.”
She added: “What’s brilliant about Liverpool is that there’s so many fantastic creative people around to collaborate with.”
ADHD The Musical will be shown at theatres across the country, including Shakespeare North in Prescot, the Hope Street Theatre and St Helens Library. But the place she is most excited to perform at is Darlington College of Arts, where she graduated with a first class BA Hons in Contemporary Performance Art Combining Community Practices.
When Dora is on stage there, she will think back to her teenage self, who struggled to fully understand who she was. She said: “I really wanted to go there. I thought about my 18-year-old self and my 33 year-old self, and how it just feels like, I wish she knew that she was going to be okay.”
ADHD The Musical will be shown at Shakespeare North from 20 to 22 July, the Hope Street Theatre on 22 September and St Helens Library on October 4. You can find out more about the production here.
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