Transmissions @ The Lowry Studio

Addiction is one of those difficult and disputed problems that is often talked about but seldom agreed upon. Is it an illness? Is it genetic? Does it stem from a lazy spirit, a lack of will power? Further, it comes in many forms, from drug dependency to sex obsession. Are these all equally valid? Is one worse than another? Can they be treated in the same way – or are they untreatable? In spite of all this contention and confusion there is one thing that everyone acknowledges: addiction destroys lives, sending the seemingly sane into selfish and self-destructive spirals. 

Tuheen Huda was not satisfied with this state of affairs, so decided to undertake his own investigation into addiction. "I found it a fascinating subject," says Huda, a practising intensive care doctor. "I got interested in the neuroscience of addiction... what ethereal power do we give it from our own minds?" That journey has culminated in Transmissions, a new multimedia production at the Lowry that looks at addiction from all angles, putting the problem under the knife for public dissection. 

As a doctor and dramatist Huda is well-qualified for the role of science explorer, and Transmissions is not his first foray into unchartered territory. In the past he has played the part of a gay panda questioning sexual identity (in Pandamonium), while in What Am I Worth? he made a public study of the awkward issue of organ donation. "I get a different sense of peace from creativity," says Huda, "and I like to get people together and get people talking... Transmissions is another chance to do that." 

Rather than relying on science-speak alone, Huda has gathered first-person testimony from recovering addicts and the people who treat them. "Addicts come from all classes, races and backgrounds," says Huda, "but there are simply astounding and unexpected similarities between them." However, he adds that, "Even the things we might consider to be gospel truths are hotly contested." Huda has also called on his own experiences with sex addiction, something that he touched on in Pandamonium, but that he "hadn't uncovered the heart of."

While Transmissions has similarities with Huda's previous pieces, there is one key difference: in the past he has been a performer, whereas Transmissions finds him moving off stage and turning his hand to directing. "I feel much happier off stage," says Huda. "Although I love performing, being a director allows me to take a holistic view to the whole production rather than just my performance." This approach has turned the story into a team effort, with those involved including dramaturge Jonathan McGrath, and creative agency Albino Mosquito, who have been tasked with visualising, as Huda puts it, "the things that happen in the brain." 

Transmissions may not provide all the answers, but it is asking the right questions and that, for Huda, is enough. "No matter how much you look at it, addiction is an enigma," he says, "but that doesn't mean we can't talk about it."