Katydid by Lucy O'Brien

Katydid

By Lucy O’Brien

RRP: $22.50

“The story of a girl named Kate with cerebral palsy who’s a total bitch’” Lucy O’Brien

Since her birth 19 years ago Kate’s parents, Daniel and Lindsay, have been struggling to cope with bringing up Kate who suffers from cerebral palsy. The demands made upon them are spinning out of control.

Katydid is a gritty, often very funny, play - a modern day folk tale; a fable that curls its lip at happy endings or a neatly packaged moral.

The play achieved standing ovations during its premiere season at BATS Theatre in August 2010 and went on to win O’Brien Outstanding New Playwright of the Year at the Chapman Tripp Theatre Awards.

Katydid was born in 2005 while O’Brien was studying for a MA in scriptwriting under Ken Duncum at the International Institute of Modern Letters (IIML) where she emerged as one of the most talented writers of the programme in recent years.

O’Brien’s experiences of growing up with disability in her own family made her keenly aware of how people with disabilities are portrayed in film and television: -

“What struck me the most was the common trait of dull saintliness and chastity. I decided I wanted to write something I’d never seen before—a character with a disability who was a little bit wicked. In fact, whenever a friend asked what I was writing about, I would answer, ‘The story of a girl named Kate with cerebral palsy who’s a total bitch.’”

The play raises questions about society’s attitudes to the disabled, but avoids simplistic political statements, deftly negotiating the balance between black humour and humanity as Kate, engagingly manipulative and poignantly vulnerable, seeks her independence.

“I believe there is room—giant, gaping chasms in fact—to tell more stories about people living with disabilities, and I am pleased to be able to add one more to the canon.” Lucy O’Brien

Available to buy here: www.playmarket.org.nz/katydid