Instructions On How To Be Alone – Colab Tower, London

Writer and Director: Marguerite Vermersch

A young woman is calling a mental health support line for all of Instructions On How To Be Alone, and she is alone, on hold. It is a conceit that is simple but impactful in nature. and one that is rooted in this show’s history as a six-hour durational art piece. While this incarnation’s hour-long runtime is short, by comparison, there is a clear commitment to seeing the conceit through and exploring its multiple corners and crevices.

Marguerite Vermersch’s script accurately captures the descent towards psychosis that sprouts from the furthest extremes of loneliness and anxiety while peppering the script with plenty of humour.
Maire McGovern also makes numerous excellent choices to bring some moments of levity to an otherwise sombre exploration. As the young woman on hold, McGovern’s performance is realistic and specific, and full of micromovements that burst with meaning in such an intimate performance space. However, despite such a nuanced vocal and expressive performance, passages of Instructions On How To Be Alone give space and time for short movement scores that feel underdeveloped. They demonstrate frustration, but without much deeper emotion or meaning.

Broadly, this is Instructions On How To Be Alone’s biggest downfall. There is little lying under the surface here. Vermersch’s script is clear in its portrayal of loneliness, anxiety, depression, and the ineffectual support offered by mental health services and self-help culture at large. But this meaning is conveyed front and centre, and there is no invitation to develop any deeper conclusions as an audience member. Nevertheless, this does not detract from a beautifully realistic portrayal of its subject matter, thanks both to Vermersch’s directing and McGovern’s performance.

There is also adequate time in Instructions On How To Be Alone’s quieter moments to observe and admire its detailed set, designed by Tom McVeigh. Again, invitations to meditate on subtextual layers of meaning could have been hidden here, but what is presented is just an accurate and specific portrayal of loneliness in this young woman’s life. McVeigh’s lighting works in excellent sync with Hélios Lyons’s sound design, and the crispness of the technical aspect of the show lends a real sense of professionalism to this work.

Instructions On How To Be Alone demonstrates real talent on behalf of its creative team, which leaves an audience with a feeling of excitement for what a skilled collective like this could do with a project that is subtler and more nuanced in the way it conveys meaning.

Reviewed on 3 December 2025