Presented by Damsel Productions
Grotty
The Bunker, 53A Southwark Street London SE1 1RU
Tuesday 1st May – Saturday 26th May 2018
No one goes to the circus to get laid, do they? I do
Following the success of Brute at Soho Theatre, Damsel Productions teams up again with award-winning writer Izzy Tennyson to present Grotty, a semi-autobiographical piece centred on East London’s lesbian scene. The play is a provocative, satirical and at times grotesque exploration of intergenerational tension in the lesbian community, as well as struggles with mental health, identity and grief.
Izzy Tennyson who will be playing Rigby, won the Ideastap/Underbelly award with the debut show Brute (Edinburgh fringe festival 2015). Tennyson will be starring alongside Grace Chilton (Father Brown, BBC; Humans, Channel 4; Pride & Prejudice, Sheffield Crucible; Macbeth, National Youth Theatre Rep Company) who will be playing Witch/Elliot, Rebekah Hinds (Shameless, Channel 4; Humble Boy, Orange Tree; Billy Liar, Manchester Royal Exchange; Around The World, Mint Theater Company, New York) playing Toad/Kate and Anita-Joy Uwajeh (Twelfth Night, Shakespeare’s Globe; Fury, Soho Theatre; Girls, Soho Theatre) who will be playing Josie/Natty/Dr Alexandra.
Grotty is not a sentimentalised view of the London lesbian scene and is certainly not for the faint hearted. Told through the eyes of a young and reckless Rigby, a series of flashbacks expose Rigby’s taste for self-destruction and girlfriends with nice flats. Rigby doesn’t just fall down the rabbit hole, she hits the very bottom of it – mind games with no logic, laddish girls with a ‘fuck them and leave them’ attitude, desperate nesting 30-somethings and fetish club outcasts who, if they were men, would probably be on some sort of list.
Director, Hannah Hauer-King comments, Damsel is thrilled to bring this new, provocative and caustically funny play by Izzy Tennyson to our recent venue of residence, the Bunker Theatre. There is a dearth of stories focused on the queer female experience, and Grotty is a fantastic exploration of this underrepresented part of the community, and ultimately a compelling piece that will engage a diverse audience.
The Bunker’s Spring Season sees the venue truly celebrate its place as a playground for ambitious and adventurous audiences, just over a year after it first opened its doors. The exciting season highlights the venue’s commitment to work with brilliant playwrights, both established and emerging.