SIMA by Ellen Bannerman to Open at the Drayton Arms Theatre in July

The world premiere of Sima by Ellen Bannerman will be presented at Drayton Arms, 4th - 8th July 2023. 

Sima blurs naturalism with the supernatural to explore themes of social responsibility and the inequality of modern feminism in relation to class. Artistically integrated captions make Sima accessible to d/Deaf and HOH audience members. 

“You’re going to find me like I found you. Thinking we’re just two ships in the night, that shouldn't have stumbled across each other. But we did, because it was meant to be.” 

Sima is a morality play set in the flat of an isolated university student, Jess. When she opens up her home to a stranger in need of her help, this unlikely encounter forces Jess to face her own demons in order to save Sima. This groundbreaking new play takes us out of the ordinary and into a world that is spiritual, ancient and uncertain.

 In the UK, a woman is killed every three days by a man. Usually by someone they know, often in their own homes. Since the death of women such as Sara Everard and Sabina Nessa being publicised in the media post-Covid, the government has done little to solve the systemic issue of violence against women. In the meantime women continue to suffer in silence, with working class women 3.5 times more likely to experience domestic violence, and yet economic equality and violence against women and girls are treated as separate issues. For generations women have been left to battle this issue on their own. It begs the question: Is it women’s responsibility and if not whose is it? A post-show Q&A will take place on Thur 6th July. After the show, we will collect donations for Advance, a local charity helping women and girls affected by domestic abuse. 

Niki Scordi, CEO of Advance has said: “It’s refreshing to see a play explore these complex and seemingly intractable issues. We cannot continue to let women and girls down. It is imperative that our communities support women and girls escaping violence and economic hardship. Far too often one leads to the other. We applaud writers and artists who help bring awareness of the lack of justice for women and girls, so that we can collectively bring change.” Read more about Advance and their mission here. 

Ellen Bannerman, playwright, was recently shortlisted for Play, Pie and a Pint’s David MacLennan Award. Alumni of the Royal Court Writers Group 2021 - 22. 

Directed by Maddy Corner, whose credits include the 4-star (Guardian) SHE by Anthony Clark (Tara Theatre/UK Tour) and OFFIE OffComm Award winning TRADE by Ella Dorman-Gajic (Omnibus/Pleasance/UK Tour). 

Founded in late 2022, female-led new writing theatre company Slime and Pies hit the ground running, starting with an R&D at the Traverse of Ellen Bannerman’s play ‘Kill the Second Coming with Slime and Pies’ and their 5-star London debut with Eleanor Roberts’ ‘The Interview’ at the Blue Elephant in Camberwell.

 CREATIVE TEAM: Lily McKay (Set and Costume Designer), Tim Kelly (Caption Designer), Sara Aceto (Videographer), Ariana Xenofontos (Assistant Director). CAST: Esme Hough JESS, Drew Gregg EUAN/JOE, Lucy Menzies SIMA. Full length bios are available here. For further information contact: Eleanor Roberts (Assistant Producer).

Performance Details: 

Title: SIMA 

Dates: Tue 4th - Sat 8th July, 19:30 

Press Night: Wed 5th July Venue: Drayton Arms, 153 Old Brompton Rd, London, SW5 0LJ 

Running time: 90 minutes, no interval 

Accessibility: All performances are captioned 

Age Guidance: 16+ Tickets: https://www.thedraytonarmstheatre.co.uk/sima £14 standard/£12 concessions 

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