Two fantastic new plays by two brilliant female writers are currently playing at the Bunker Theatre. Firstly, there’s I Will Still Be Whole (when you rip me in half) by Ava Wong Davies which follows a woman reuniting with her mother after she walked on her as a baby. Then there’s Before I Was A Bear by Eleanor Tindall, which follows Cally and what happened in her life to drive her into becoming a bear.

I Will Still Be Whole (when you rip me in half) 

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Tickets and more information: https://www.bunkertheatre.com/whats-on/i-will-still-be-whole/about
Booking until: 23rd November
Run time: 1 hr

What I really enjoyed about this play is how beautifully written it was by Ava Wong Davies. The characters of EJ and her mum Joy constantly felt like they were in parallel with each other, creating a symbolism of how different their lives are now to when they first met (per se). This is reflected in the fantastic direction by Helen Morley, which I thought really brought the strong metaphor to life. I found the entire play to be very moving and beautiful. It’s actually quite rare for stories like these to be put on stage. Of course there’s plenty of strong women on stage who learn to put up with the challenges in their life. But you don’t often see the ones where women walk away from the pain life has caused them. The performances by Tuyen Do as Joy and Aoife Hinds as EJ were equally as moving as the writing and both actresses were completely captivating to watch.

Before I Was A Bear 

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Tickets and more information: https://www.bunkertheatre.com/whats-on/before-i-was-a-bear/about
Booking until: 23rd November
Run time: 1 hr 20 mins

Once the play started and a dancing bear made their way to the stage, I knew I was in for a treat. This instantly sets the comedic tone written by Eleanor Tindall which carries throughout the play. Although the play touches on some darker themes, including abuse of power and online harassment, the comedic writing manages to stop the play from constantly falling into a bleak wormhole. In addition to this, a fantastic star turn from Jacoba Williams as Cally who is consistently engaging and entertaining throughout the play. Along with Aneesha Srinivasan’s superb direction in using the entirety of the space, this play is a brilliant marriage of great writing, direction and performance.

Both plays are wonderful debuts that I feel very lucky to have caught. Do book the two and treat yourself to an excellent evening of theatre.

Until next time,