Me, As A Penguin

Stitch

Burton-Taylor Studio, November 2019

Directed by Cydney Beech and James Gurd

Photography by Matthew Colpus

I auditioned for Me, As A Penguin the day after I finished my undergraduate finals. I knew that I needed something to keep my mind ticking over after exams were done, because the post-exam slump is so difficult to handle sometimes. What transpired felt like being in the right place at the right time. This show was the first time I'd acted in more than two years. I learned to knit, wore a horrible charity shop cardigan and cried to Kate Bush onstage, but I had such a great time working on Me, As A Penguin. This experience reignited my love for theatre, and encouraged me to audition for more shows at Oxford. I owe a lot to this production and the cast and crew involved.

"It was like looking in a mirror. There I was. Me. On the edge. Not getting any fish."

Stitch is hitting Hull’s gay scene - or dipping his toe in, while staying with his heavily-pregnant sister Liz and her shabby, sofa-loving partner Mark. But why won’t Stitch let anyone into the bathroom even though Liz is dying for a pee? And who is the man in the giant penguin costume?

A bashful exploration of misfits, identity and family told through the whimsical comedy of knitting, penguins and Battenberg cake.