what is pizza man -- and why?
Pizza Man, written by female playwright Darlene Craviotto in 1982, is a dark farce/comedy about two women who try and hold a man hostage because they are sick of how men, in various ways, have tried to control their lives and shape who they are. However, the man they target, the pizza delivery man who is the namesake of the play, ultimately forces them (and the audience) to question this nuanced power struggle between the sexes. Despite some outdated ideas, many of which we have either removed or edited the play makes a very cutting commentary on what the gender politics was like in the 1980s -- and even on how it is today.
We are showing the play for three evenings at the Bread and Roses Theatre in Clapham -- a fringe theatre we purposefully chose because of its openness to showing thought-provoking, often female-driven material.
A Note From the Company About the Original Version of the Play
We think it's worth noting to our friends and supporters that the original, unedited version of the play contains triggering, not to mention outdated, mentions of rape, and we feel that this concept is unnecessary to retain in our version -- and could potentially be triggering to both male and female survivors of rape and sexual assault. We also think this detracts from the bigger message of the play about the conversation to be had around the complicated gender politics between men and women. Thus, we have edited the text so that it no longer includes these mentions and concepts but still keeps the heart of the play. However, we are still using the production as a platform to raise awareness around the fact that men can still be victims of sexual assault; thus, we plan on donating some of the proceeds from our ticket sales to the South Essex Rape and Incest Crisis Center and including a note about this very issue in our programme.Who are we?
We are Get a Life Productions , an American-British theatre company comprising five actors/creatives (four graduates from East 15 Acting School and one graduate from the Liverpool Institute of Performing Arts), as well as one current student of East 15's stage management and production programme. Our goal as a collective is to bring daring and though-provoking works to the London stage, starting with Pizza Man.
THE CAST
Eddie (Pizza Man): Paul Brayward
Julie: Francesca Sales
Alice: Tera Sheerin
THE PRODUCTION TEAM
Director: Morgan Eliza Cooper
Stage Manager/Promotions: Katie Marie Galbraith
Set Designer: Larisa Muñoz
Composer: Tera Sheerin
why we really want your help to tell this story
We think now is the perfect time to work on and share the challenging message of the play about how women are treated by society, particularly at work and as they go about society, as well as the types of conversations it could potentially spark among these communities, with today's theatre audiences. We think showing this kind of play, which was really prescient when it was written in 1982, is especially relevant now in the era of the Me Too movement, with women getting paid less on the dollar than men; microagressions such as how women are treated in cities when they’re doing something as simple as walking down the street; the toxic environment towards women in many industries such as finance, Hollywood, and technology; and more. We are also a theatre company made up predominantly of women or allies to women, so we care deeply about these issues and experience them daily firsthand.
Where will the money go?
We really want to make your quid go a long way to get the message of this show out to as many people as possible in the best way we can. Here's exactly where we plan for your money to go:
If we hit our minimum of £595:
- Performance rights: £195
- Wage for our stage manager and lighting and sound technician: £400
If we hit our ultimate goal of £1,095:
- Costume/prop/furniture rentals and purchases: £100
- Marketing campaigns, flyers, posters, programmes: £100
- Transportation costs: £100
- Miscellaneous costs: £100
We have some awesome rewards in the works to thank everyone who donates, whatever the amount: Check them out on the side panel!
Images and video
We will update this fundraising page with media from our rehearsals, interviews with the cast and director, and more updates once we have them!
Find us here
Follow us on the following social media platforms or contact us via email to find out how we're doing!
Get A Life Productions: Facebook Page
Instagram: @getalifeproductions
Email: getalifeproductions18@gmail.com
OTHer ways to Help us succeed
You absolutely don't need to donate money to help us achieve our goal of putting on this play even just sharing this project with anyone you think would be open to supporting us by linking them to our various social media accounts, directing them to our email, or simply spreading the word via word of mouth or on your own online platforms, will go a long way. With your help, more people will know about Pizza Man , and the more likely it would be that we can get the message of this play out in the best way we can. And yes, we did say you don't need to give money to help us -- but if you can, we'd love it if you did! Please sponsor us and help make this play happen!
