Bella Heesom’s acclaimed tale of female desire, Rejoicing at her Wondrous Vulva the Young Woman Applauded Herself , comes to South London’s Ovalhouse this May. Book your tickets now for the witty, empowering production.
Rejoicing at her Wondrous Vulva the Young Woman Applauded Herself is an epic journey of self-discovery through the garden of sexuality. Featuring ideas planted during adolescence such as: ‘Only Boys Masturbate’, ‘You are a Sex Object’ and ‘Female Genitals are Gross’, it is a story of self-love, encompassing shame, pride, fury and liberation. It runs from 9 to 25 May 2019.
The hit show includes is the hidden battle between Brain and Clitoris, Appetite and Ego, shame-free sensuality and the desperate need to be ‘normal’, which everyone will recognise regardless of gender.
Bella Heesom
Rejoicing at her Wondrous Vulva the Young Woman Applauded Herself is the second play by Heesom. Her first, My World Has Exploded A Little Bit, explored bereavement and received a host of four and five star reviews.
In addition to writing the show, Heesom stars in the production alongside Sara Alexander. The show is directed by Donnacadh O’Briain, who reunites with Heesom having previously directed My World Has Exploded A Little Bit. He also directed the Olivier Award-winning production Rotterdam and the Royal Shakespeare Company production, Always Orange.
The show’s creative team also includes Hannah Elsy (producer), Jess Bernberg (lighting designer), Candice Weaver (sound designer), Elizabeth Harper (set/costume design), Liz Ranken (movement director) and Martha J. Baldwin (assistant director).
Heesom’s show runs at Ovalhouse as part of the theatre’s penultimate season in its current home, before it makes a move to Brixton. It’s joined in the summer season by Custody, a tale exploring how young black men slip through the cracks in society, and Grey, a play by Koko Brown delving into black women’s mental health. The season also includes First Bite productions of Salty Irina, Just Another Day and Night and At Any One Time Other Than This, You Would Be My Friend.
Speaking about the season, Owen Calvert-Lyons, Ovalhouse’s Head of Theatre and Artist Development, said: “In recent weeks it has once again been highlighted that our industry continues to under-represent women writers. Our summer season features 10 plays by women (77% of the programme). In the mainhouse 66% of plays are written by women. This is not a ‘festival of women’s work’ or a ‘season of plays by women’ it is just another season of great new plays by brilliant writers.”
