Smile Club

Written by Andrea Heaton & Adam Z. Robinson
Directed by Rod Dixon
Performed by Andrea Heaton

Come on love, cheer up, it might never happen.

Welcome to Smile Club. Life’s so much better when you smile. Everyone knows that. So go on – give us a smile.

Meet Lisa, a Smile Club attendee. Lisa’s been through it all and she now knows – beyond a shadow of a doubt – that nobody likes a girl who makes a fuss; nobody likes a girl who can’t take a joke. She knows too, that life is simpler when you let things go. And she certainly has. All of it.

Join Lisa as she presents the perks and rewards of being a Smile Club Member. Hear about her descent into dejection, rage, and bloody violence, before her remarkable transformation into the smiley, well-adjusted human you see before you today.

Set in a dystopian world in which a government drive exists to tame and prune unruly women deemed unable to fit into society, Smile Club is a darkly comic and searingly satirical new one woman show from writer/performer Andrea Heaton (Fidget Theatre) and writer Adam Z. Robinson (Shivers, The Book of Darkness and Light), directed by Red Ladder Theatre Company’s Rod Dixon (Mother Courage and Her Children, The Parting Glass).

‘A very clever fusion of satire and science fiction with the dark humour of Black Mirror and the dystopian horror of The Handmaid’s Tale.’ Audience Member on work-in-progress

‘Hugely relevant, accessible, exciting – hairs standing up on the back of my neck moments!’ Audience Member on work-in-progress

Follow the show on Twitter @smileclubshow & Instagram @smileclubshow #smileclub

Recommended for ages 12+ (strong language, themes of violence). Running time: 60 minutes (approx.; no interval). Some performances may include a post-show Q&A (question and answer) session with the cast and/or creative team – details TBC.

Performance dates, times and venues are listed below.