Later this month, Pete MacHale will be bringing his debut solo show Dear Young Monster to the Bristol Old Vic.
‘A jolt, a shock, the whizz of something crackling through me, surging through my veins, my body awakening – The hum of something just beneath my skin buzzing to life finally, finally!’
Struggling at the beginning of his medical transition, a young trans man has dropped out of university and returned to his quiet hometown. His friends are away, the locals are becoming increasingly hostile, his body is transforming before his very eyes into someone he doesn’t quite recognise yet and it’s all becoming too much… Until he catches a midnight screening of Frankenstein.
At last, when he looks into the monsters big, dead, sad eyes, staring down at him from the screen, he feels seen.
Dear Young Monster pulls apart fear, otherness, and what it means to embrace being the monster that the world keeps telling you that you are.
Created by Pete MacHale and directed by Sammy Glover, the play is produced by Jess Donn with support from Bristol Old Vic, with thanks to Arts Council England and Stage One.
Jess said of the endorsement: ‘Stage One have been an incredible support to me throughout my career. I am honoured to be a recipient of their Bursary Award, supporting me to take creative risks and confidently develop my independent practice. I am delighted to have their support throughout this endeavour, and to be working with an incredible team of Trans and Gender Non-confirming creatives, bringing Pete’s debut show to the stage.’
Stage One is a charity that supports commercial theatre producers across the UK, and The Society of London Theatre (the not-for-profit organisation that runs Theatre Tokens) has been one of their integral supporters since it began over 40 years ago.
The production opens on 28 February, with previews from 22 February, and runs until 9 March.
To book with Theatre Tokens, call the Bristol Old Vic box office on 01179 877 877 or email tickets@bristololdvic.org.uk