ALT B: in case you thought you had no addictions, here is a list

By Eleanor Shaw
Rehearsed reading

“What you see as a chain, I see as a seatbelt. You see a leash, I see a hand to hold. If I’m a painting, I’ve found a frame.”

Meet Joanie and Twig – once inseparable twin sisters, identical in every way. Now, Joanie’s lifelong illness has led to drastic surgery and a subsequent move into Twig and fiancé Audrey’s home for recovery.

In this compulsive, darkly comic two-hander, lines between health and sickness, truth and deceit blur in front of our eyes. Difficult conversations, between Twig and Audrey, intertwine with snapshots of an intrusive online world, exposing that undeniably intriguing affliction: Munchausen’s Syndrome or Factitious Disorder.

Can the twins thrive, even when suffering defines their lives? And what happens when flourishing is contingent on withering?


Eleanor Shaw, Writer: Eleanor is an emerging playwright, alumna of the Royal Court Writers’ group, whose work has been shortlisted for the Alpine Fellowship Theatre Prize. She is committed to creating space for individuals who struggle to gain entry into the arts – over 25s, those with neurodiverse conditions, mental health diagnoses, and those from state-education without industry connections.

Isabella Speaight, Producer & Performer: Isabella is an actor and producer from London. She co-runs award-winning, female-led film production company Backscatter Productions which was founded in 2020. Isabella trained at the Oxford School of Drama.

Lydia Gard, Producer & Performer: Lydia trained at the Bristol Old Vic, graduating in 2019. She is an actor, poet and producer from London and completed her undergraduate degree in Philosophy & Psychology, where she was also a recipient of the Durham Vice-Chancellor’s Theatre Scholarship.

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