Plaything

A 5 year old pageant contestant, an ex-Etonian-turned-delusional-DJ and a mute schoolgirl whose entire personality is her ginormous rucksack. The link? Pending. They’re all played by a girl. She’s 25 but she’s got no tits.

Isabella Thompson is set to bring her "masterfully crafted" hour of clown and character comedy, Plaything, to the Edinburgh Festival Fringe this summer. Following a successful development period at Soho Theatre Labs, this satirical and absurd exploration of infantilism will run at Hoots @ Nicholson Square.

Plaything is an uproarious show born from the pervasiveness of a woman’s infantilisation. Through the lens of four distinct characters: Boo, DJ Charlie, Boo’s mother Sarah, and a hide and seek master General, Thompson subtly navigates the complex intersection of a youthful appearance and the need for adult approval through clowning and character comedy.

Thompson has taken from her experience in the Queer performance space and embraces traditions of storytelling that have been pioneered by this community. Utilising clown, AFAB drag and real voiceovers from characters in her own life, Thompson has created a show that is riotously playful and unconsciously hard-hitting.
⭐⭐⭐⭐ - Operation Live Theatre (WIP performance)

Writer and performer: Isabella Thompson
Director: Julia Sopher
Assistant director: TJ Roderick
Co-producers: Isabella Thompson and Julia Sopher
Dramaturgy: Layla Chowdhury
Creative consultants: Tom Rainn, Hen Ryan, Heather Woodhouse, Zelda Solomon, Paige Hann