James Murphy

Disposophobia James Murphy

DISPOSOPHOBIA IS A SATIRICAL PLAY - A BLACK COMEDY ABOUT identity theft, liars, lovers & old phone bills. When Sophie and Karl, two struggling young artists scratching a living as cleaners, arrive to reorganise the chaotic apartment belonging to Tony, a wealthy hoarder, the scene is set for a clash of personalities and ideals. But as the conflict unravels between all three of them, just exactly who is hoarding what becomes less clear. Disposophobia confronts our assumptions about attachment to people, possessions and insodoing questions our deep-held convictions about the nature of personal identity. The emotional key of Disposophobia is perhaps summed up in a monologue of one of the central characters, Tony (the hoarder), on being confronted with the need to get on top of his 'dysfunction' (both metaphorically and actually!) "Old letters are vital, don't you think? They remind you of who you used to be, who you used to love! And not just letters - bills, receipts remind you of what you used to pay for, what you used to like. - No, I can't let go of them, it wouldn't be right. They're as much a part of me as - well, the person standing in front of you now... I mean, who's to say I'm more real now than I used to be? We're not just the present, are we! - Or memory wouldn't matter. That's why I keep things, if you must know. - If I forget them, how am I supposed to I know who I am?"