Following a hugely successful run at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe supported by The Pleasance’s Charlie Hartill Theatre Reserve, Wonderbox theatre company is bringing it’s funny, clever and politically challenging, play A Womb of One’s Own to Pleasance London this November as part of the Best of Edinburgh’ festival.
A Womb of One’s Own follows a young woman on her journey of self and sexual discovery, exploring the emotional rollercoaster of an unwanted pregnancy, an abortion and the surrounding taboos. This darkly comic coming-of-age story tackles a big painful subject with warmth, heart and humour.
Babygirl is a sexually frustrated eighteen-year-old, desperate to get away from the crocheted doilies and watchful eyes of her Catholic Grandmamie. Just as she discovers a new life of cheap vodka, freedom and bisexual excitement at university, she finds she’s Up the Proverbial Duff.
She can’t tell her Grandmamie. She can’t tell her new friends. She can’t even tell Miranda (who she might be a little in love with) so instead she tells the audience. A semi-autobiographical piece, A Womb of One’s Own uses humour and sensitivity to explore controversial issues such as abortion, sexuality and religion.
Influenced by writer Claire Rammelkamp’s own experience of having an abortion, A Womb of One’s Own explores the lack of information and advice surrounding the process.
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Rammelkamp comments: “Having an abortion made me realise how much we need more open discussions onthe topic and help to explode the taboo. I was lucky enough to have a really strong support network around me, and it was still hard to get advice. A lot of people go through it alone, mainly because abortion just isn’t talked about. We want to change that. The production looks to widen the public discussion and shatter stigma about UK women having abortions while championing better abortion education for women and girls.
“It also demonstrates that abortion is not just a straight women’s issue; it affects bisexual relationships and the complexities in dealing with abortion as a queer person can be even more challenging as support and guidance is usually created for heterosexual women.”
In this highly-energetic and fast-paced production, four performers – Carla Garratt, Danica Corns, Holly Bond and Rammelkamp herself – bring Babygirl to life, revealing different aspects of her personality and an absurd cast of characters.
A Womb of One’s Own visits Pleasance, North Road, N7 9EF from 19-23 November 2019.
