Clutching at Straws

Clutching at Straws

Reverse Cascade Theatre Company presents Clutching at Straws. A sad, silly study on the perils of getting on with it all.

All the World’s A Black Box Play

Life's a lot. It's uncertain, confusing, chaotic. Sometimes, it's fun. Other times, it can be kind of boring. Once in a blue moon, life's peaceful - fulfilling. But, most of the time, it's just downright silly. Clutching at Straws by Reverse Cascade Theatre Company captures it all with humour, heart, and a healthy dose of absurdism.

It's about two twenty-somethings who feel... well, stuck. One keeps dreaming they’re a famous mathematician, made to solve impossible equations in a surreal liminal space; the other is sure they’re destined for a breakdown but can’t quite find the time to schedule one in. Both fumble through a world of bookstores, sandwich shops, and intrusive thoughts, trying to hold onto something real.

It’s bitty, it’s fragmented and it's very, very human.

(Want to download a free digital programme? Keep reading... or, you know, you can scroll down... that works to...)

Relatable Content

Have you ever found yourself in the meal deal aisle questioning your life choices? Or overthought yourself into a spiral while browsing books about Lebanon?

In Clutching at Straws, everyday anxieties collide with surreal scenarios, turning small moments into big questions. From the unbearable anxiety that Dunkirk might be skewing everyone’s perspective to the overwhelming impulse to throw ready-made sandwiches at strangers. It's certainly not your typical night at the theatre! It's a raw and insanely relatable reflection on a whole host of themes, including:

Identity

Or the overwhelming desire to figure out who you are (while knowing you probably never will).

Longing

That yearning for something you can’t quite name (but feel everywhere, all the same).

Mental Health

And the peculiar comfort you feel when you realise everyone else is just as lost as you are.

On mental Health…

When traditional theatre tackles mental health, it often feels contrived as our experiences are reduced to a checklist of behaviours and symptoms. But mental health is nuanced - it's complex, it's individual.

By leaning into the absurd, Clutching at Straws dodges oversimplification. It's a play that embraces complexity and invites audiences to reflect on their own inner chaos. Sure, the play's a bit silly. In fact, it's flat-out silly. But it never makes light of individual struggles. Instead, it portrays them as they are - complicated, messy and hard to define.

Minimalist Theatre. Maximum Impact.

Stripped bare, Clutching at Straws uses only the essentials to magnify the absurdities of life.

⦁ Black-Box Stage = Immersed audience
⦁ No Set = Emphasis on performance
⦁ Only 1 Scene Change = Uninterrupted momentum
⦁ Cast of Two = Multi-dimensional characters

  • Sam Meridew

    WRITER/DIRECTOR

  • Samara Jordan

    PRODUCER

  • Dylan Day

    ACTOR

  • Joanna Szlendak

    ACTOR

  • Elle Carter Knowles

    WELFARE & P&P

  • Jamie Williams

    MARKETING MANAGER

  • Christa York

    LIGHITNG & SOUND

 

Where? Theatre@41

An affordable, accessible, and volunteer-run community theatre at the heart of York.

When: February 28th - March 1st 2025

Clutching at Straws is a fleeting experience you won't want to miss.

Tickets: £10 (+10% booking fee)

You simply won't find a more affordable show at Theatre@41 this season!

come along! you're guaranteed a wild time. Plus, if you look close enough, you might just find yourself amidst the chaos.

Free Bonus?

(Thank you for reading to the end!)

Send us a screenshot proving you bought your tickets before Tuesday 25th February 23:59 (either via email or social media) and we'll send you a free digital programme filled with exclusive, behind-the-scenes insights from Reverse Cascade Theatre Company!

P.S. Got a ticket for Saturday night's show? Stick around afterwards for a free post-show discussion with the writer and director of the show!