Beached (NHB Modern Plays)

Melissa Bubnic's Beached is a darkly funny comedy about modern freak shows, love and cream buns. Loads of cream buns. Arty is the world's fattest teenager. At sixty-seven stone, he is a young man literally going nowhere. All that is set to change when a reality TV crew moves in to ruthlessly document Arty's supposed transformation from bedridden walrus to trousered sophisticate. But with the cameras rolling, something totally unexpected happens - Arty falls in love. Beached had its British premiere at the Marlowe Theatre, Canterbury, in 2014 before transferring to Soho Theatre, London. It won the 2010 Patrick White Playwrights Award at the Sydney Writers' Festival. 'Funny but thoughtful... a moving and sensitive exploration of extreme obesity' - The Stage 'Touching and sensitive... a satisfyingly chewy four-hander' - Evening Standard 'A very funny, recognisable and hugely entertaining play' - Daily Telegraph Australia

Melissa Bubnic is a writer for stage and screen. Her plays include Boys Will Be Boys (Headlong and Bush Theatre, Sydney Theatre Company); Beached (Marlowe Theatre and Soho Theatre, Melbourne Theatre Company, and Griffin Theatre Company; winner of the Patrick White Award, 2010); Mariage Blanc (Sydney Theatre Company) and Stop. Rewind. (Red Stitch Actors' Theatre, 2010, 2012).