This week, Sexy Lamp will be making its digital premiere with a livestream from Wolverhampton’s Arena Theatre. The play is by the multi-award-winning Katie Arnstein and it aims to shine a light on sexism in the acting industry.
It’s a semi-autobiographical tale, that is both funny and touching. It’s a story of power, prejudice and the fight to keep dreams alive. You might be wondering why the play is called Sexy Lamp. Well, it’s inspired by Kelly-Sue DeConnick’s ‘Sexy Lamp’ test. It takes issue with scenes where a female character can be replaced with a sexy lamp without affecting the plot. While this blatant reduction of female actors’ roles still endures and female creatives continue to fight for recognition, Sexy Lamp is a call to arms that demands women are seen and heard in all walks of life.
The play is told from the perspective of a young actor with bold aspirations. Katie has dreamed of being an actor since she was seven years old. In 2012 she arrives in London, a city full of magic and optimism, and is greeted by the brutal reality of an industry where named, speaking and fully clothed roles for women are hard to come by. Now, Katie is an actor who refuses to stay in the dark any longer.
Katie Arnstein’s empowering theatre
Sexy Lamp is the second part of Arnstein’s It’s A Girl! trilogy, which began with Bicycles and Fish in 2018; and was completed with the highly acclaimed Sticky Door, which premiered at VAULT Festival 2020. Throughout the past 12 months, Arnstein has continued to delight audiences with her relatable and empowering writing. Highlights include the Offie-nominated Half Acre; Embarrassed; and Fruit which all featured in Popelei Theatre Company’s online seasons. Arnstein was also shortlisted for the Evening Standard Future of Theatre Award 2021.
You can catch the livestream of Sexy Lamp on Friday 23rd April. Or, watch it on-demand from Saturday 1st to Wednesday 5th May.
Ensuring the production is accessible to a wider audience, the Arena Theatre have supported Arnstein and producer, Beccy D’Souza, in arranging for the live streamed performance to be BSL interpreted. And the on demand performances will be adapted to include options for audio description and captioning.
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When: Livestreaming on 23rd April at 7.30pm and available on demand, 1st – 5th May 2021
Where: Online
£: Tickets cost £10
More info: wlv.ticketsolve.com