Written by Olivia Hannah, with a soundtrack of queer pop bangers from Chappell Roan to Icona Pop and more, Sh*t Life Crisis is a darkly hilarious exploration of survival in the face of illness, grief and friendship, and why the barriers to living are not all lifted with the “All Clear”.
Sh*t Life Crisis premieres at Junction Goole on Tuesday 20 May before touring to Hull’s Polar Bear Music Club (21 - 23, 29 - 31 May), The Dukes Lancaster (27 - 28 May), Theatre by the Lake in Keswick (4 June), and Alphabetti Theatre, Newcastle (5 - 7 June).
Directed by Silent Uproar AD Alex Mitchel, Shit Life Crisis follows Grace, who has smashed cancer with the perennial support of her ride-or-die Abbie, but victory has begun to feel like a bad joke. She has tried, like really tried, to climb out of a pit of streaming and scrolling, following Abbie's 100 step plan to being alive, but she is still gripped by fear.
The volume is cranked up as the chemo buddies throw a party to friendship, survival and confronting the woes of the modern age. Sh*t Life Crisis is a darkly funny, raw exploration of the Black experience of cancer, recovery and living. The show invites audiences to belt along together to the soundtrack of life, with lyrics projected onto the set and a karaoke after-party to end the night.
Writer, Olivia Hannah, commented: “This play has been percolating for a long time, mainly because it feels so important to get it right. It’s not just about the story itself, but how it’s told. Making it a karaoke show feels like the perfect evolution for it and Silent Uproar are the perfect collaborators. I’m so excited to see it come to life!”
Sh*t Life Crisis is produced by Silent Uproar, an award-winning Hull-based theatre company and creators of challenging and camp nights out, developing shows from new northern writers. Audiences may remember them from their sell-out theatre experiences, including A Super Happy Story About Feeling Super Sad, their hit-success dinner theatre experience The Night of the Werewolves, and riot girl punk musical, Dead Girls Rising.
Director of Shit Life Crisis and Artistic Director of Silent Uproar, Alex Mitchel, said: “We first came across Olivia’s work when she applied for our writer support programme Troublemakers in 2021 with an early version of Sh*t Life Crisis, we loved Olivia’s humour and skill when talking about complicated, raw and knotty experiences in life. We are really overjoyed to bring this show to life, and give it and Olivia Hannah the platform they deserve.”
A local support service will be present at each performance, if audience members wish to speak to someone about the themes of illness and grief explored throughout the show. Silent Uproar invites local cancer support and survivor groups to join them, offering concessions for groups who have experience with cancer.
More information can be found at: https://www.silentuproarproductions.co.uk/
Tickets for The Dukes performances: https://dukeslancaster.org/whats-on/theatre/shit-life-crisis