Slow Violence comes to London’s Pleasance Theatre this spring

Absurd physical comedy Slow Violence comes to London’s Pleasance Theatre this spring.

Created and performed by Laura Ryder & Harry Kingscott, the piece will run from 21 – 25 March 2023 presented by Midlands based theatre company B Team.

Slow Violence explores the apathy and inaction surrounding climate breakdown through two workers at a neglected travel agents office.

This fast paced two-hander starts with Peter’s induction in the Happy Holiday’s office where he’s learning that working life isn’t quite as he imagined. Alongside his highly enthusiastic and overbearing colleague Claire, they carry on working in their run down and dangerously hot office, attempting to ignore the floods and flames as they plough on with business as usual.

As the office (and the pair’s working relationship) farcically crumbles before the audiences’ eyes, the show gives them the opportunity to contemplate these indifferences and sparks timely conversations surrounding global warming.

Things aren’t looking good in the Happy Holiday’s office. The roof is leaking, the printer is on fire, and someone keeps turning the heating up. How long can Claire and Peter keep up the facade of business as usual? Will they learn how to fix their office before everything falls apart completely? 

Co-creator and performer Laura Ryder said: “Slow Violence is an absurd comedy but at the heart of the show is our desire to encourage audiences to explore the apathy and inaction that exists in relation to climate change. In the same vein that Claire and Peter can’t continue to deny the fact that office is falling apart, nor can we keep pretending the world is not endangered.

“Whilst so much narrative around the climate emergency focuses on fear, our storytelling avoids doomy narratives and looks to give people a sense of empowerment by provoking conversation and creating ideas of community and connection.”

The production has set and costume design by Maria Terry, lighting design by Pete Rickards and sound design by Ivan Stott. It is produced by Rafia Hussain.

For more information and tickets, visit pleasance.co.uk