KNIT YOUR OWN BOYFRIEND
Research and Development, London Performance Studios and Golden Goose Theatre, 2024
Supported by Arts Council England
Written by Eleanor Roberts
Directed by Maddy Corner
Produced by Slime and Pies
Cast: Eleanor Roberts & Laura Brady
Designer: Cara Evans
Caption Designer: Christopher Harrisson
Sound Designer: Bella Kear
Movement: Adi Gortler
Caption Consultant: Ben Glover
Stage Manager: Ibraheem Hamirani
An absurdist exploration of female mental health and existential anguish.
Knit Your Own Boyfriend is the tale of two women trapped inside their own mental crises.
Onya and Tease have been in this pit for a long time. The world outside is an alienating and terrifying thing. They take solace in their routine, meaningful meaningless nicknacks and surviving on pot noodles. When a ‘knit-your-own-boyfriend’ stocking filler kit is discovered, it fractures the status quo and threatens to destroy their existence.
Their carefully constructed environment begins to implode. Absurdity cracks reality and they are forced to resuscitate, purge, and kill all that haunts them, as many times as it takes to be free.
Knit Your Own Boyfriend straddles absurdity, comedy and tragedy, exploring the relationship of two people who cohabitate in an un-real pit of safety and din. The play focuses on these two opposing characters who internalise their emotions in unique ways, looking to interrogate the crossroads of existentialism and individual human desires.
The play examines the role of women within existentialism and philosophical theatre. How do women connect the world beyond the confines of their societal limitations? How can anyone connect with to the world beyond their society?
THE PROCESS: reference images
Textures for the design of the back drop - working with designer and caption designer to find something that works both as a projectable surface, and evokes the depth, grime and inescapability of the ‘pit’.
Inspiration for the ‘piles’, mounds of clothes to create nests that feel familiar to the depressive safe spaces we create for ourselves.
Examples of my previous work with captioning and other successful productions. Exploring the text as a dramaturgical tool. How can we present words to convey meaning and create layers of storytelling?
Mood board of feminist art that uses text - as reference for the fonts used in our captioning. Aim is to find something that fits within the world of the play and the characters whilst maintaining legibility.