Octopus
by Afsaneh Gray
Presented by Paper Tiger Productions and Greenwich Theatre in association with Fine Mess Theatre
Written by Afsaneh Gray
Directed by Pia Furtado
Starring Alexandra D'Sa, Dilek Rose, Samara MacLaren
Music composed by Serafina Steer
UK tour opens on the 28th April at York Theatre Royal
“You’re an octopus. All mixed up, like me. One leg something, and one leg something else.”
Octopus is an anarchic new comedy about Britishness and whether anybody knows what it is. Set in a world where how British you are is determined by the state, three women have been called in for interview. Sara looks kind of Asian. Scheherazade kind of Middle Eastern. And Sarah is kind of white and has no idea why she's here. She also keeps bursting into song.
Staged against the backdrop of Brexit, the refugee crisis and fears about terrorism, Octopus is set in a dystopian world of bureaucratic box ticking and absurd interviews. At a time of increasingly anxiety over policing our cultural and geographical borders, it explores the mixed-race experience, how it feels to be seen as a foreigner in your own land, and the power of punk.
Fresh from its success at the Edinburgh Fringe and a transfer to London's prestigious Theatre503, Octopus is hitting the road in Spring/Summer 2017, full dates here:
YORK Theatre Royal 28 April (tickets)
LEICESTER Upstairs at the Western 29 April (tickets)
LONDON Greenwich Theatre 2–6 May (tickets)
BRIGHTON Otherplace 9–12 May (tickets)
OXFORD North Wall 16 May (tickets)
MAIDENHEAD Norden Farm 17 May (tickets)
MARGATE Theatre Royal 18 May (tickets)
NEWBURY New Greenham Arts 19 May (tickets)
CANTERBURY Marlowe Studio 19 June (tickets)
POOLE Lighthouse 22 June (tickets)
BIRMINGHAM MAC 28 June (tickets)
PETERBOROUGH Key Theatre 29 June (tickets)
HALIFAX Square Chapel 30 June (tickets)
DERBY Derby Theatre 1 July (tickets)
LONDON Poplar Union 11 July (tickets)
LONDON Tara Arts 12–15 July (tickets)
Written by Royal Court Studio Group & Soho Theatre Young Writer Afsaneh Gray, directed by Fringe First winner PIa Furtado, music composed by Serafina Steer (whose critically acclaimed last album, The Moths Are Real, was produced by Jarvis Cocker).
Also supported by:the Unity Theatre Trust and the Diorama Arts Studio.
"Raises the hairs on the back of your neck ... laugh-out-loud funny"
"Inspired and very funny"
THE STAGE
"Couldn't be more topical ... the perfect play"
"It is a great pity someone didn’t bring Theresa May to this show, but then I guess she was too busy trying to make the absurdities depicted in the satire a frightening reality."
"Afsaneh Gray’s script is snappy and witty, counterbalancing the tricky subject matter with a hefty measure of daft humour."