One would never typically associate the concept of ASMR - the acts of hushed whispering and the audible fiddling of objects - with theatre. Not unless they were Melbourne performer Jessica Stanley. 

When I heard the basis of Stanley’s production of JSMR: An ASMR & Storytelling Experience for Melbourne Fringe, I was naturally intrigued as a lover and active player in the performing arts. I simply knew I had to see, and you can rest assured that it was most definitely a worthwhile experience. 

The production tastefully addresses potentially triggering topics, like sexual harassment, by producing a variety of sounds using some of the ever-so classic ASMR elements of tapping upon objects and Stanley’s beautifully rich, yet hushed, narration.

She sets the tone of what it means to be artistically experimental. Her adventurous, whimsical spirit shines especially brightly through this production as she carefully guides her audience through a palette of emotions by inciting moments of laughter and sombre self-reflection. 

Stanley said the fact JSMR was a brand new type of project for her made it fun to produce.

“Melbourne Fringe is the perfect place to do something experimental, weird or quirky so I thought why not just do something really ‘out there’,” Stanley said. 

“Originally, I pitched to [Fringe] that maybe if there was just a tiny space somewhere like a closet, I’d do a tiny show for just one person at a time so it’d feel like a really intimate ASMR experience.”

Stanley said transitioning to a digital platform due to Melbourne’s sixth lockdown meant she had to make some changes to the show, which was originally meant for a live theatre audience.

“I was going to play with offering people a kind of menu when they entered the space so they could choose what they wanted to experience during the play,” she said.

Despite the switch, the digital medium did not at all impede the impact and quality of Stanley’s production. She was still impressively able to “incorporate some of the very gentle, low-pressure audience interaction and participation” through the audience’s screens just as she had hoped to do. 

At the beginning of the show, viewers are compelled to tuck a pillow behind their backs and put a blanket over their laps just as Stanley warmly suggests in a very memorable one-take opening scene, settling everyone in nice and comfortably right before diving into the heart of her production. 

As the show progresses, JSMR gets more intimate and vulnerable and sees Stanley take on several characters. One particularly memorable role is that of a wellness clinic administrator, who directly asks for audience members to strip their souls bare as she does the same.

Her heart-to-heart dialogue consists of often witty remarks such as “are you experiencing an amount of cognitive dissonance because of JK Rowling’s unfavourable social views?” to more personal questions like “do you have social anxiety at the thought of seeing your friends again?”.

One of the lines that struck a significant chord with me was when Stanley suggested that her sensitivity is a problem and that she “needed thicker skin”. 

However, this devoted audience member disagrees. Her strength as a performer comes from her raw and sensitive nature, making JSMR such a beautifully crafted production and establishes her as an artist to watch. 

For every time Stanley addresses a sensitive topic, she cunningly and purposefully pairs it with other ASMR components as a means to not overwhelm the audience since “the whole point was for them to relax”. 

Throughout the show, Stanley consistently opens up about her own triggers in an informative manner. 

“It was definitely scary to talk about some of the things I did in the show,” she said. “But in doing it, I hope that people watching it will feel connected to it, or feel less alone.” 

Caring about her audience from start to finish, Stanley beautifully wraps the production with a heartfelt message to her fellow like-minded performing art lovers: “Dear artists, for as long as you’ve still got the spark, I hope you keep making art”. 

Her production proves that ASMR is in itself a carefully crafted work of art, woven together to provide her audience with a therapeutic sense of comfort to de-stress after a long hard day, while gently readdressing our past (or fresh) wounds in a much-needed discussion.

“That’s why I like ASMR,” she said in her ending act, “sleep is possible and sensitivity is a good thing.”

JSMR is available for viewing on the Melbourne Fringe website now until the night of October 17, with prices ranging from $8 to $20.