A satirical and contemporary take on Greek mythology and the social media slut-shaming generation, Before I Was A Bear is a one-woman/one-bear ménage à deux about friendship, fluid sexuality and irresistibly hot TV detectives, starring award-winning Jacoba Williams (A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Shakespeare’s Globe; Queens of Sheba – Winner of The Stage Award, Vault Festival, New Diorama, Underbelly).
Before I Was A Bear presents a darkly comic tale from a female perspective, exploring the shame and treatment that comes with stepping outside of the mundane to claim your own agency. This debut production from London playwright Eleanor Tindall will be directed by Aneesha Srinivasan (Origin Stories: scratch night, the CentrE17; The Palestinian in the Basement is on Fire, Southwark Playhouse).
The effects of carnal lust have turned Cally into a bear. An actual bear. Through adolescence, ambiguous relationships and the spark of a sexual awakening, the whole suddenly-a-bear situation is brought to light. Is this a blessing or a curse?
Director Aneesha and writer Eleanor comments, “Before I Was A Bear was written in response to a Greek myth and an obsession with the idea of celebrity worship. It’s about coming of age, friendship and negotiating your sexuality at an age where everyone else is busy figuring it out for you. We’ve worked on this for over two years, in different iterations, at different venues – and over those years we’ve had conversations about growing up, the male gaze, the impact of mythology, famous people we fancied at school and all the unsatisfying sexual intercourse we’ve had, all of which have now found their way into the play and into the shaping of Cally, our bear.”
Before I Was A Bear is at The Bunker Theatre 12th – 23rd November 2019.
