No one looking at you would spot a thing out of place. You’re complacent. You and the worm coexist. Even though it’s eating you from the inside, you’ve got no idea.
Victoria Yeates, known for playing Bunty in the Fantastic Beasts films and Sister Winifred in Call The Midwife (BBC), will bring to life a domestic abuse survivor in Bruntwood-longlisted writer Emily Jupp’s powerful new play Wormholes. The world premiere of this darkly compelling tale about coercive control, domestic abuse and how the mind finds a way to escape, brings together a powerhouse team led by director Scott Le Crass (Rose, Ambassador’s Theatre).
Drawn from Jupp’s own experiences and enhanced by the experiences of those around her, including Yeates, Wormholes seeks to present an authentic reflection of what women experience when they are in abusive or controlling relationships.
In the play, the central character tries to understand why she is being questioned by the police and in doing so is forced to examine the jagged pieces of her past. Wormholes is about a woman who finds herself in a mental facility and is trying to work out exactly why she is there.
She is being asked questions by two unseen people; through this one-sided conversation, the woman slowly reveals how the previous five years of being in an abusive relationship have destroyed her sense of reality and sense of self.
She expresses the incremental nature of the abuse and the alienation from her friends, but somehow she retains a sense of spirit and cheekiness throughout the telling.
Reflecting on her writing process for this powerful piece, Jupp comments, Wormholes has been a labour of love and an emotionally challenging piece to write. It's a narrative that explores the idea of a woman pushed to breaking point by both her partner and the world we live in. It weaves together several of my own experiences of controlling and abusive relationships as well as incorporating that of Survivors. It's a tale of an Everywoman; a woman like so many of my best friends; strong, opinionated, funny and brave, who through no fault of her own has been bruised and battered, mentally and physically – by the person she trusted with her heart. It is a reflection of what at least one in five women experience in their lifetime, regardless of race, class, education or wealth.
The production is working in partnership with Refuge, the UK’s largest domestic violence charity. Wraparound activity will include sessions with survivors of abuse and Q&As for those affected by the themes in the show.
As Jupp comments further, Scott, Victoria and the creative team have tremendous alchemy and they've taken the script to the next level with their belief, energy and amazing talent.
Performances Tuesday 23rd July – Saturday 10th August 2024
Tuesday – Saturday, 7.30pm
Sunday, 4pm
Running Time 65 minutes
Location Omnibus Theatre, 1 Clapham Common North Side,
London SW4 0LH
