FLUSHED Will Be Performed at Park Theatre in October

The little-known condition Premature Ovarian Insufficiency (POI) and attitudes to women's health issues in general are explored, questioned and raged against in a funny and heart-warming show about two sisters coming to terms with one's recent diagnosis. Presented at Underbelly at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe in 2018, Theatre Unlocked's debut show was created in close collaboration with UK charity The Daisy Network, as well as multiple individuals living with POI, to shed light on how the condition affects sense of identity and life choices. Flushed plays out in seven different bathrooms, as sisters Marnie and Jen retreat to that well known refuge for a heart-to-heart through cubicle walls. Flushed, along with Sold, is part of the Say it, Women double bill of stories celebrating women's strength.

Writer and co-founder of Theatre Unlocked Catherine Cranfield said, "the motivation behind Flushed came from a desire to explore two main things: sisterhood and attitudes towards women's health issues. Besides that, I was unsure of the specifics of what I wanted the show to be - other than that it would be set in various different toilets! As I delved deeper into my research of women's health, I was struck by the lack of conversation surrounding Premature Ovarian Insufficiency, and it became clear that this was what Flushed needed to explore. However, what was vital to me was that Flushed would be funny. This is not a bleak and sombre play - it's a heart-warming hug, it's an uplifting and relatable celebration of sisterhood and female strength, and it's an answer to that age old question: why do women go to the bathroom in pairs?"

In a Park Theatre first, this production is part of the Say it, Women double bill, which also features Kuumba Nia Arts and Unlock the Chains Collective's Sold, a forgotten true story inspired by the storytelling traditions of the West African griot told through theatre, song, live drumming and dance. These two plays not only find an unheard female voice, but sing it from the rooftops, beaconing the listener and celebrating women's strength.

Theatre Unlocked was formed in 2017 by Elis Shotton and Catherine Cranfield, after a casual discussion about theatre, at a pub in central Manchester. In early 2018, Flushed became TU's first project - premiering at Manchester's 53Two Theatre, becoming the first recipient of their 'FOUNDation' award, and winning Voice Magazine's 2018 'Pick of the Fringe' award. It has since been presented at arts-health forums, including Fertility Fest at the Barbican. In 2019, TU produced Zucchini, which was written by Elis and funded by Arts Council England. The success of these productions has paved the way for Theatre Unlocked to continue their creative endeavours, and to collaborate with other venues and artists to produce urgent, exciting, and thought-provoking work.

Park Theatre presents exceptional theatre in the heart of Finsbury Park, boasting two world-class performance spaces: Park200 for predominantly larger scale productions by established talent, and Park90, a flexible studio space, for emerging artists. In eight years, it has enjoyed eight West End transfers (including Daytona starring Maureen Lipman, The Boys in the Band starring Mark Gatiss, Pressure starring David Haig and The Life I Lead starring Miles Jupp), two National Theatre transfers, twenty-five national tours, five Olivier Award nominations, has won Offie Awards for Best New Play and Best Foodie Experience and won a Theatre of the Year award from The Stage. Park Theatre are grateful to all those who have donated to the Park Life fund, supporting the venue through the pandemic.

Performances run 12 Oct - 6 November.

www.parktheatre.co.uk | 020 7870 6876

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