Part stand-up, part takedown of capitalism, part wannabe dancing dildo musical, this one-woman play is a celebration of resilience, humour … and sex toys! A thrilling—and sometimes terrifying—examination of the ways capitalism and the patriarchy fail us, and the precarious position all women risk finding themselves in, Rough Trade is ultimately a story of hope in challenging times.

Loneliness, fear, bad dreams, repressed attraction or repugnance, lockdown and sudden escapes, jigsaw puzzles, food deliveries, bad tempers and penguins. Like a modern-day journal of the plague year, this collection of monologues and scenes is a time capsule reflecting the lived experience of these five playwrights during the Covid-19 pandemic.

Poppy has developed a tic. A twitch. A spasm. It spreads through her body, then her group of school friends and before long, the whole town. Nobody can explain it, but as the disease spreads, the community begins to fracture along lines that turn into deep fissures. Who or what is to blame? And how are they going to fix it?