Presented by Caroline Horton and Company with China Plate in association with the Bush Theatre as part of RADAR 2013
Winner of The Stage Awards Best Ensemble 2012
We’re putting on a play. It’s about anorexia, but don’t let that put you off.
Based on Caroline Horton’s own experiences of anorexia, Mess is a show about one person’s journey through anorexia and recovery. The show tells the story of Josephine’s attempt to put on a play that will ‘tackle issues and conquer stigma’, with the help of her good friend Boris and musician Sistahl.
Josephine, Boris and Sistahl are catapulted from the depths of despair and bafflement to the heights of joy and hope and back again as they struggle to tell the story of Josephine’s anorexia and recovery. Mess is a window into an internal world of addiction and control, which is finally rejected for the outside world – messy, chaotic, rich.
The show was devised by the company and written by Caroline Horton. With absurd physical theatre and original songs, Mess is darkly funny, deeply moving and incredibly bold.
Touring in association with Beat (the UK’s leading charity supporting people with eating disorders). Developed with the help of experts from King’s College London’s Institute of Psychiatry. Triggered@Warwick Arts Centre. Funded by a Wellcome Trust Arts Award and Arts Council England. Commissioned by Battersea Arts Centre and Parabola Arts Centre. Supported by Ovalhouse, London.
From the Olivier nominated playwright and performer of You’re Not Like The Other Girls Chrissy
DATES AND DETAILS
Mess plays as part of a double bill alongside Where the White Stops] from ANTLER theatre on Wednesday 20, Thursday 21 November, 7.30pm: £15 (£13 concessions and £10 Bush Connect Members tickets)
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Caroline Horton is a theatre maker, performer, writer and director based in Birmingham.
She was nominated for a 2013 Olivier Award for Outstanding Achievement in Affiliate Theatre for You’re Not Like The Other Girls Chrissy, which also won Best Solo Performer at the 2010 Stage Awards and was nominated for Best Theatre Performer 2011 at Adelaide fringe. Chrissy was shortlisted for the Holden Street Theatres Award 2010 and New Writing South Best New Play Award 2011.
Caroline’s second show Mess continues to tour after opening at The Traverse in August 2012, where it won Best Ensemble at The Stage Awards. Mess also won an Argus Angel award and was nominated for an Offie for Best New Play.
This year Caroline created and performed Penelope Retold for Derby Theatre (The Guardian ★★★★) and her first radio play for BBC Radio 4, Paris, Nana & Me.
Current projects include directing Ishbel & I for Julia Voce and creating a new show about The Staffordshire Hoard with the New Vic.
She’s an associate artist at The Bush and has just finished a year’s residency at the Oxford Playhouse on their Evolve programme. In August, she starts a year’s associate-ship at Birmingham Rep.
Caroline directed/co-adapted Grisly Tales from Tumblewater for Teasel. She has also collaborated with Shams, MAKE/SHIFT and The Plasticine Men and on Hetty Feather directed by Sally Cookson. In 2013, she made a podcast for Fuel’s series While We Wait. Recent acting credits include: Heidi at the egg, Bath, directed by Lee Lyford; the White Witch in The Lion The Witch and The Wardrobe at The Brewhouse; Olga in Heldenplatz at the Arcola directed by Annie Castledine and Annabel Arden and performed as Cinderella in the version by Melly Still and Ben Power at Warwick Arts Centre. Caroline performed Almost 10 for Tangram at the Edinburgh Festival in 2009 and was nominated in The Stage Awards for Best Solo Performer. Caroline adapted and performed I’ll Show You Mine (TimeOut Critics’ Choice, August 2011).
