If This Is Normal
by Lucy Danser for Chatback Theatre
Greenwich Theatre July 2019
ZOO Playground August 2019
VAULT Festival Febuary 2020
The New Normal Festival August 2020
National Tour April-May 2022 - Wardrobe Theatre, Bristol; Arts at the Old Fire Station, Oxford; Mill Studio, Yvonne Arnaud Theatre, Guildford; 53Two, Manchester; Liverpool’s Royal Court
Set and Costume Design by the company, photography by Karla Gowlett
Sound Design by Nicola Chang
With Aoife Smyth, Zarima McDermott, Isambard Rawbone
Press selection:
»Four days into the Festival, and I might have found the best piece of Fringe theatre I’m likely to see this year. That may be a daring claim, but If This Is Normal is the sort of production that I most admire: simple, effective, and skilfully presented with minimal (evident) fuss«
***** The Fountain
»You’re having such a blast hanging out with these three dancing, drinking and clubbing - it’s a furiously energetic production by director Helena Jackson - there’s no sense that anything could go wrong - until something does«
**** The Scotsman
»Superb coming-of-age tale as teenage friends struggle with adulthood«
**** WeeReview
ThisWeekLondon - ‘Three to See’ - VAULT Festival
»This is a very emotive play. Afterwards it was almost hard to believe that it only ran for an hour - a lot is crammed in and, other than a brief scene shortly before the halfway point, the pace carries well throughout, thanks to director Helena Jackson.«
***** WithinHerWords
»Director Helena Jackson’s fun and archaic (sic.) direction captures the energy of youth« (note: I hope they meant ‘anarchic’)
***** Upper Circle
»What’s so great about being in the audience of ‘If This Is Normal’, directed by Helena Jackson, is the experience of watching something truly honest and sharing something deeply personal with the characters (…) this performance is truly worth seeing and will transport you back as well as offering a space for reflection on growing up and early relationships«
**** The Spy In The Stalls