Based on lived experience, writer and performer Bettina Paris explores how the complexities of alcohol addiction can affect families and family relationships. Sisyphean Quick Fix follows two sisters – Krista in London, and Pip in Malta – as they realise the severity of their father’s drinking problem. As the pressures of caring for a person struggling with substance misuse, both from afar and in person in Malta, puts a strain on their lives, it tests their close relationship with each other, with their careers, and with their connections with others. Taking place over two months, Sisyphean Quick Fix is a heartfelt comedy drama that takes in the peaks and troughs of caring for a loved one, and the pull of responsibility for migrants when there are complications back at home. The Riverside Studios run is performed in support of Alcohol Change UK.
Writer and performer Bettina Paris said, “The response from audiences has been so rewarding. To know that something born out of my own personal experience has resonated with people from all over the world… there’s no feeling like it. Our run at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe last year confirmed the need and want from the public for work like ours. I’m now so excited to share our show with London audiences and at Riverside Studios, no less! The team at the venue are just wonderful and their support for Sisyphean Quick Fix has been immense since the moment they saw the show back in August.”
Sisyphean Quick Fix, which premiered at Edinburgh Fringe 2024 at Pleasance Courtyard, is Bettina Paris’ debut work as a writer, and has been made with input from others facing similar experiences as well as substance misuse charities in Malta and the UK. As an actor, she has appeared in productions on stage (On the Other Hand We’re Happy, Theatre Next Door) and on screen (Breeders, Here We Go), across London and Malta and directed Ben Power’s adaptation of Medea at Malta’s National Theatre last November with high acclaim.
Director Nicky Allpress’ recent credits include Oh What a Lovely War by Joan Littlewood & Company for Blackeyed Theatre (national tour 2023-24), The Shape of Things by Neil Labute (Park Theatre), The Walworth Farce by Enda Walsh, Romeo & Juliet (Southwark Playhouse), Crackers! by Charlie Way (Polka Theatre); Market Boy by David Eldridge (Union Theatre); Moment of Grace by Bren Gosling (Lockdown Film), and Summon up the Blood (RSC Open Stages adaption and direction of Henry IV, Henry V and Henry VI).
For over 45 years, Riverside Studios has been the centre of an extraordinary mix of new and innovative theatre, film, comedy, art, dance, music and television. A cultural hub that has attracted some of the world’s best creative talent including Samuel Beckett, David Bowie, Benjamin Zephaniah, Amy Winehouse, Yoko Ono, Lenny Henry and Michael Clark. Now, in their glorious new building, Riverside Studios are beginning their next creative chapter, driven by a belief in the power of creativity to bring people together, unlock potential and spark positive change in the world. The venue is ambitious, curious and audacious, they are for their community, their artists and their audiences.
