Looking Cis will play at The King’s Head Theatre in the Cabaret space from 5th – 6th July.
“This pressure to androgyny is an onus on us to create a new category, because the other two genders form a nice and tidy binary.”
This conversation-changing satire follows Ella, freshly evicted from tawdry reality show ‘The Enbyist Enby’, where non-binary people compete for the chance to win a gender recognition certificate. She’s voted out for being old, looking cis, and saying things she probably shouldn’t. The show takes us through her exit interview: on the brink of infamy, will Ella redeem herself by baring her soul to the public, live on television? Will she make everything worse? Or just try to distract us with a dance routine?
Award-winning writer-performer Ella Skolimowski creates drama responding to challenging, contemporary themes with humour and authentic insight. Looking Cis premiered at the 2023 International Dublin Gay Theatre Festival – the world’s largest festival of queer theatre – where it won the Sean Meehan Award for representing LGBT+ identities.
Skolimowski says: “Gender identity is a contested issue – everyone has an opinion – and people find it difficult to make sense of and find their place within it. Non-binary people can feel like a minority of a minority: even within LGBT+ activism, our experiences are overlooked. At the moment, only two European countries offer a third gender option. I wanted to write to and for the growing group of people who live beyond the binary. My ambitions for the show are modest: I simply want to usher in a post-gender society.”
Audiences praised the show for presenting under-represented experiences and breathing fresh air into the gender debate.
“This thought-provoking piece definitely should not be missed.” No More Workhorse
“Plenty of tongue in cheek humour, there are some moments of real connection with the audience that are special to be a part of…” The Reviews Hub
“An oasis of common sense…and the funniest ‘safe word’ ever.” IDGTF Review
The King’s Head Theatre, 116 Upper Street, London N1 1QP – Box Office 020 7226 8561 kingsheadtheatre.com
