Through character comedy, satirical songs and off-the-cuff stand-up covering the contradictions of slut-shaming to Instagram-envy, Isobel Rogers explores cultural stereotypes and what lies underneath. Isobel Rogers’ debut show, Elsa, is directed by Sara Joyce, who directed Milly Thomas’ The Stage Award-winning Dust at Edinburgh Festival Fringe 2017 and was recently announced as one of the Old Vic 12 directors for 2017/18.
With her lyrical songwriting, Rogers finds deeper meaning in everyday obsessions and aspirations, questioning what it means to be a young woman. Half-hearted waitress and aspiring actress Elsa works in a café, eavesdropping on overly-earnest coffee chats, regretful memories of the night before, and exhausting tales of the rat race, as she struggles to make sense of a world dominated by social pressures and personal brands.
Isobel said “I am fascinated by the pressures and stigmas women continue to face and wanted to articulate these thoughts in a medium that would allow me to blend character comedy, storytelling, and songwriting. In today’s society there is a strong impulse to attempt to become somebody else when the world is telling you that an artist’s life is not valuable. I wanted to explore these thoughts through the lens of a singer-songwriter; everyone sees a girl with a guitar as someone who is both vulnerable and powerful, and I wanted to take that image a step further by turning her into a character in a performance so that she can comment on her own narrative.”
