"Sometimes in my head I think it works, and then… sometimes I just think it’s crazy". 

Considering the levels of mental health related pastoral care that are available at Cambridge University, it is clear that the play's theme of mental illness and its links to genius is a relevant one. In Cambridge, mental health is intricately tied up with mental challenge, agility, prowess and even genius. Yet, unfortunately, mental illness is a reality that is never that far away. Indeed, when I ask about the reasons behind the choice of play, director, Hazel Lawrence tells me: "I thought it was very Cambridge appropriate – one of the characters expresses feelings of being mediocre amongst people who are brilliant, I just felt that was really relatable".

In this production of David Auburn’s Proof, Lawrence hopes to use a small cast and the intimate setting of the Corpus Playroom to relate the weighty themes of mental illness, genius and family dynamics. But why has Lawrence chosen this play? And what makes it stand out from other explorations of the familiar subject matter? "It seems to be that all of the lines between the characters’ lives are blurred, it’s just about people who live and have worries and fears like everyone else and just one of those fears is mental health."

For myself, having no real first-hand experience with mental illness, it seems a highly sensitive topic – considered taboo in day to day conversation. However, chatting to Lawrence is refreshing and it is clear she aims to break down these preconceptions. She informs me, ‘‘I feel like it is something that is so pigeonholed in society, something that needs to be discussed as a thing in itself, separately to everything else", she continues, "but I think when you open up the conversation in pubs… or simply get closer to people you realise that everyone will at some point in their lives experience these kinds of emotions".

An interesting observation – certainly mental illness manifests itself in many ways and is experienced very differently by each individual. I wonder, does Cambridge naturally attract the obsessive personality? Lawrence thinks it might, "you have to get on with the thing you are here to do, and there is not a lot of time for other things". She jokes, "perhaps you can even have a social life as well". We both agree that anything subsidiary to these commitments, with their own pressures and worries, can lead stress levels to truly peak.

I considered how difficult it must be then to work with such a sensitive topic over such a short and intense period of time – the only kind of time, it seems, that the Cambridge theatrical scene affords. We discussed the level of emotion and how this was tackled in rehearsals. Lawrence remarks, '‘I did a couple of exercises at the start to explore mental illness.... the use of drama exercises were helpful to engage the cast with the highly sensitive emotions that the play affords, so the cast then returned to the outcome of these drama games when trying to engage with their characters throughout the rehearsal process."

The intimate Corpus Playroom certainly does seem an appropriate space for such a private and emotional subject, and Lawrence informs me that "When I read it, I instantly thought of [it]". I ask how the team aim to utilise the space, set and costume – as the whole play is set on a porch. The setting heightens the theme of perception in the play, the set never changes which adds a level of certainty which the characters do not always have in other areas of their lives. Conversely, it can also make the play feel particularly confined and Lawrence notes, "it can add to that feeling of being just a little… stir crazy!"

This production of David Auburn’s Pulitzer Prize winning play explores subtly what it is like to be overcome with mental illness, family issues and fears of mediocrity amidst brilliance. It is undoubtable that this play will be a highly emotional and engrossing experience for the audience.

'Proof' is on at the Corpus Playroom from Tuesday 18th until Saturday 22nd November 2014, at 7:00pm