Hourglass - Bread & Roses Theatre

Playing as part of Grimfest at the Bread & Roses Theatre on the 29th and 30th October this year, Hourglass (written and performed by Alice Mayer - interviewee) draws on Mayer’s own unfortunate dating experiences and experience of s*xual assault, using horror and humour to explore guilt, grief and female sexuality. Tickets for this production can be purchased from this link.

Q: What inspired you to write this piece?

Alice Mayer (AM): Hourglass started as a thought about the men I dated and how they seemed to do worse after I broke up with them. Get into drugs, drop out of school, go to prison even- then came the black widow spider idea- how this ‘femme fatale’ would kill and eat her sexual partners- but what if this wasn’t her fault? So somewhere between the two the character Charlie was born.

What pushed me to finish the show actually came from a very dark place. I am an SA survivor and at the time I wrote a poem to help me come to terms with what happened and how he could be okay with what he did- and still somehow thrive. I actually read it to my therapist and she now uses it for other SA survivors- she told me that a lot of SA survivors struggle to find the right words and hearing someone else’s experience can really help. Her actions actually inspired me to create something to help give a voice to domestic SA. Handling the darkness with truth, levity with humour and revenge with horror. 

Q: Why do you think now is an important time to tell this story?

AM: Because there is never a good time to talk about SA. With the Cornell Seven taking up the entirety of my news feed I think it’s an incredibly important time to raise our voices as women. As people. It is extremely difficult to talk about SA let alone report it and I am in awe of the people who do. I have written this show so I can stand with Cornell’s Jane Doe. So I can stand with every survivor of every race, gender and background. The ones who made the headlines, the ones no one believed and the ones who never told a soul. If I can enrage and empower a single person in the audience and give a voice to their experience then I have done my job correctly. We shouldn’t be angry. We should be furious. 

Q: What part does humour play in the storytelling?

AM: I think we all use humour in our daily lives to make light of dark situations and I definitely do the same in my writing. If the whole show is jumpscare after jumpscare and sad horrific moment after sad horrific moment, audiences get…well, bored. I use comedy and music to lull audiences into a false sense of security- it’s proven that as soon as someone makes you laugh, you instantly like and trust them. Charlie makes some questionable choices for sure, but I want the audience on her side every step of the way. 

Q: The statistics surrounding SA for women is terrifying, which means that this will inevitably resonate with the vast majority of your audience. What would you say to anyone hesitating to come and see the production for this reason?

AM: I remember seeing Prima Facie not long after my experience and it honestly affirmed me. It reminded me that I was not alone. I promise that 80% of my production is a dark comedy and that revenge is most definitely taken. If you don’t want to come because you can’t, I understand, but if you do want to come to laugh, to cry and to feel empowered, then I will be so happy to have you in my audience. And if anyone needs a hug or a chat after- I’ll see you at the bar! 

Q: Can you describe the show in 3 words?

AM: Comic, Twisted, Revenge