EMMERSON & WARD, JOSIE WHITE & TEAM AGELICA PRESENT

ROTTEN by Josie White

Hitchcock meets Lord of the Flies in this exciting new comedy-thriller by emerging writer Josie White and Directed by Rikki Beadle-Blair.

Three young, regional actresses: Saoirse, Coco, and Sonia are struggling to survive in London. Their shared dream is dwindling away quicker than their bank balances. But who needs electricity? Or Netflix? Every night, through their grotty living room window, the antiheroes have a front-row seat to observe the life of Instagram ‘celebrity’ Iris Montague-Willis.

When the girls spot the newly engaged Iris in a compromising position with a woman, they decide to film it and are later persuaded by Sonia’s on-again-off-again, drug dealer boyfriend Ross to blackmail Iris. But their scheming soon spirals into complete anarchy. Betrayals, double-crossings love triangles, twists and turns, it’s every person for themselves!

ROTTEN explores themes that are poignant to the lives of young people: the cost of living, capitalism, mental health, and social media. It shines a light on the economic and social crisis that is happening in Britain today, with sharp observation and biting wit. The play builds on certain tropes you’ve seen before in classic thrillers, before twisting and turning them in directions you won’t see coming. Supported by Arts Council England Project Grants