Joy Unspeakable

Chances are someone you know has an eating disorder. Nearly 1 million women and girls in the UK have one. Is it really just skinny girls, refusing to eat?

Joy Unspeakable is a dynamic, all-female, gig-theatre show using real-life testimony to explore disordered eating – why it’s all about food and nothing to do with food.

With large doses of anger, hope, and joy, local theatre company Ordinary Glory present the true testimonies of four women, each with a different eating disorder, and each at a different stage of recovery. Expect physical theatre, live folk and punk music, and real-life stories.

Joy Unspeakable has been developed in consultation with mental health and eating disorder experts, including experts by lived experience. An audience experience of care has remained uppermost in the development of the show. Support information will be provided for all audience members.

After the performance, you are invited to stay for a free discussion between creatives, eating disorder experts, and a local mental health professional.

Creative team: Director & Curator Amy Hailwood; Musical Director & Sound Designer Pierre Flasse; Movement Director Jennifer Kay; Lighting Designer Tracey Gibbs; Dramaturg Helen Monks; Engagement Lead Lynsey O’Sullivan; Production Manager / Technical Stage Manager Frances Allison; Producer Alastair Michael; Environmental Responsibility Consultant Robin Lyons.

Image credits: Photography Chris Payne; Design Micah Purnell.