Hard to Swallow - Mark Wheeller

2020 EditionSuitable text for GCSE 9-1 DramaBased on Maureen Dunbar’s award-winning book and film Catherine: The Story of a Young Girl Who Died of Anorexia Nervosa. Catherine Dunbar died in 1984, after a seven-year battle against anorexia nervosa. She was just twenty-two.Mark Wheeller’s potent documentary play uses the words from Catherine’s diaries and also of those most closely involved and affected. This 2020 edition includes a foreword by the late Maureen Dunbar, unseen extra scenes and a reflection by Mark, on the astonishing journey of this widely studied play since its first performances, including one by OYT on the Olivier Stage of the Royal National Theatre.Suitable for: Key Stage 3/4, BTEC, GCSEDuration: 75 minutes approximately
Cast: 6 female, 3 male, 22 female/male, or 3 female and 2 male with doubling.“This play reaches moments of almost unbearable intensity… naturalistic scenes flow seamlessly into sequences of highly stylised theatre… such potent theatre!â€â€¨Vera Lustig, The Independent“Elegantly structured, highly informative, and imaginatively theatrical. There wasn't a dry eye in the house.â€â€¨Anne McFerran, Stage and Television Today