Utility

Director // Orange Tree Theatre // London // 2018

BEST NEW PLAY Off West End Awards nomination

★★★★ “This prize-winning American play by Emily Schwend is the latest hit in an astonishing run of form for the Orange Tree” Fiona Mountford, Evening Standard

★★★★ “Brings an unpatronising candour to its graceful, low-key depiction of life in breadline America.” Maxie Szalwinska, The Sunday Times

★★★★ “The political and dramatic significance of Schwend’s play lies in texture, rather than incident. In common with writers such as Annie Baker, Alexander Zeldin and Barney Norris, she concentrates on the minutiae that make up the quality of life for her characters.” Sarah Hemming, FT

Like I gotta lose just about everything I used to like about myself just so I can keep shit even halfway decent for everyone else around here.

Amber is juggling two nearly full-time jobs and three kids. Her on-again, off-again husband Chris is eternally optimistic and charming as hell, but rarely employed. The house is falling apart and Amber has an eight-yearold’s birthday party to plan.

As Amber struggles to keep things from boiling over, she is forced to confront reality – she is a stranger to the person she once was and the person she thought she might be.

Emily Schwend won the Yale Drama Prize 2016 for Utility.

Director – Caitlin McLeod

Designer – Max Johns

Lighting Designer – Emma Chapman

Sound Designer and Composer – Max Perryment

Costume Supervisor – Megan Rarity

Casting Consultant – Lotte Hines CDG

Cast: Rob Londsdale, Matt Sutton, Jackie Clune, Robyn Addison