Sam’s eighteen and her life’s about to start. Zoe’s forty-something and hers never did. They don’t have much in common. Just a love of 80s’ new wave, and an illness that wants them dead. Thrown together in an eating disorder unit, their most intimate secrets exposed, they form a complicated bond. When another patient turns the ward into chaos, they face questions that dictate their survival. Most of all: how to navigate an institution that keeps you safe inside but unable to cope outside?
Grippingly authentic, incisively witty and profoundly compassionate, Laura Waldren’s remarkable debut won the Papatango New Writing Prize from 1,468 plays. It follows past Prize discoveries which have won Olivier, Critics’ Circle, Evening Standard and OffWestEnd awards and transferred to over 30 countries.
Content Warnings: Eating disorders; mental health; self-harm.
Tuesday 18 June: Post-show Discussion with Papatango Prize-winning Writer Laura Waldren
Reviews on past Papatango Prize winners:
★★★★ “A truly exciting discovery.” – The Guardian (HERE)
★★★★ “A serious talent to watch.” – The Evening Standard, Best Theatre of 2021 (OLD BRIDGE)
★★★★ “Every year the Papatango Prize comes up with a bit of a cracker.” – The Guardian (THE FUNERAL DIRECTOR)
★★★★★ “A modest masterpiece.” – The Stage (THE SILENCE AND THE NOISE)
“Knockout professional debut rings with fresh truth.” – New York Times Critic’s Pick (SHOOK)
“Astonishingly brilliant. One of the best debut plays I have ever seen.” – BBC Radio 4 (SHOOK)
