Triptych Theatre in association with Etcetera Theatre and Laughing Horse presents
VERMIN
Written by Benny Ainsworth, performed by Sally Paffett and Benny Ainsworth, directed by Michael Parker, all co-founders of Triptych Theatre.
Previews at Etcetera Theatre Camden: 25th March @ 7PM, 26th March @ 9PM
Dates and times at Brighton Fringe, Laughing Horse – Walrus Raised Room: 15th May @ 4:30PM, 16th May @ 8:15PM, 19th May @ 9:30PM, 22nd May @ 8:15PM, 29th May @ 3:15PM, 30th May @ 9:30PM.
Plus, one performance at Caroline of Brunswick, 28th May @ 2:00PM.
This isn’t your usual love story. A dramatic encounter on a train causes Billy and Rachel’s lives to irrevocably intertwine, but their whirlwind romance takes a dark turn when they discover their new home is infested with rats. Devastation rains down on their quiet neighbourhood as the rats bring out the madness hiding inside them.
Billy, a lazy lump with a troubled past and diagnosed OCD, sees in the rats an excuse to unleash unbridled violence on living creatures. Rachel, a spiritual animal lover who has recently lost a child, sees in them the reincarnated soul of her daughter, Alice. Their different approaches to the pesky visitors leaves them at odds, and drives a deep wedge into their already fractious relationship.
This explosive two-hander sees Billy and Rachel explain to their audience their descent into chaos, each seeking redemption for their own transgressions.
A darkly comic emotional rollercoaster of a play, full of laughs, shocks, secrets and vengeance, influenced by the likes of Philip Ridley and Duncan Macmillan, and with graphic content that wouldn’t be out of place in a Tarantino movie – come and listen to Billy and Rachel’s very different sides of a very, very dark tale.
VERMIN is the third play produced by Triptych Theatre. Sally, Michael and Benny formed the company in 2014 in their last year at East 15 Acting School. Benny acts as writer, actor and co-producer while Sally and Michael act as directors, actors, and co-producers. All aspects of their shows are created and realised by their small but mighty troupe of three. The show was initially inspired by a news article about one woman’s shocking experience of stillbirth, but has since taken on a life of its own, exploring themes such as mental health, relationships, the depravity of humankind and fate.
Outstanding […] Laugh out loud […] Keeps the audience mesmerised.
London Pub Theatres ****
Richly lurid […] A genuinely exhilarating piece of theatre.
End of the Fringe ****
(For An Audience with Stuart Bagcliffe, 2019 / Scattered, 2014)
“A company that is full of promise, a priority”
Broadway Baby, of Triptych Theatre