Fat Chance: Boro writer's play returns to the North East on International Women's Day
A North East theatre maker is launching the tour of her one woman play, on International Women's Day - in the hopes it will challenge views on weight and society
Last updated 5th Mar 2024
A play - which made waves at the Edinburgh Fringe festival in 2022 - returns to the North East on International Women's day this year - and it's creator hopes it will challenge society's views on women's weight - as well as class and the arts.
Fat Chance arrives at Northern Stage in Newcastle this Friday and Saturday - before travelling around the country - including dates in Alnwick, Middlesbrough, Darlington., Durham and Hexham.
It's the life story of writer and performer Rachel Stockdale - from Middlesbrough - and is based on her life, and her dealing with other people's unsolicited opinions on her body.
She tells us, there are some messages she would love the audiences to take from seeing the show;
"The fact that they shouldn't comment on other people's bodies, we shouldn't offer people diet advice if they look bigger
"We shouldn't congratulate people if they look smaller, we don't know what everyone is going through,
"And also - dieting is disordered eating.
"It's this assumption that people can just talk about or comment on your body.
"There's so much fatphobia entangled in it - if someone might think you're pregnant then you obviously think you are too big, or taking up too much space to what they expect you to take up"
Rachel explains since the show first appeared at Live Theatre and then the Edinburgh Fringe Festival in 2022, there have been some changes:
"We didn't get the funding in the summer of last year - that was when we planned to tour again
"It gave me the space to sit down, watch a recording of the preview and go 'oh, we haven't bookended the show correctly'
"So the beginning is totally new!"
You can find out more about Fat Chance and it's Newcastle dates through the Northern Stage website, and for the rest of the tour from the Fat Chance website.