“How to Swallow a Volcano”
Written and performed by Anne McDermott
Directed by Padraic Lillis

3 pm, Sunday, June 21, 2026

Maybe I haven’t been to enough solo shows, but I am delighted that each one I have seen has been engaging, humorous, and a lovely way to spend an hour or so, even if something tragic in the story leads the performer to hold their breath. At the start of “How to Swallow a Volcano,” Anne McDermott provides us with a reflexively funny cue that tragedy awaits before she introduces us to her therapist. Then, with a gesture and an alto voice, she is her therapist, the kind who is always asking, “And how did that make you feel?”

I felt fortunate to be in the room as twenty years of psychological exploration unfolded. Twenty years! The irony is not lost that Anne has sought help because she can’t seem to maintain any relationship for long.

Anne makes the most of the couch, its raison d’être in a therapist’s office, and the moments when she can’t conform to laying back, facing away from her interlocutor. One of the finest elements of this piece is Anne’s movement using all available space, including a seat in the front row. Did I mention she makes eye contact with folks in the audience?

The years play out at a steady pace. The woman who was passive assimilates into self-assured assertiveness without making an ass of herself. The relationships with men don’t seem to get longer, but the anguish of failure becomes a more balanced acceptance that he wasn’t “the one” and there may never be “the one.”

Acceptance is the key to ending her one enduring relationship. Anne comes to terms with the fact that her therapist is dying. She is slow on the uptake regarding her therapist’s condition. I don’t know if Anne was denying what she saw or not. It was the only time my mind stepped out of the world created before me.

The fact that I was so immersed in the storytelling demonstrates Anne McDermott’s talents as a writer and actor, as well as Padraic Lillis’s skill shaping the pace and use of the space. “How to Swallow a Volcano” reinforces my admiration for solo shows and interest in hearing other people’s stories.