“You could say, you might say that my life is perfect”
Ivy has life sorted; she’s got a flat, a boyfriend and she knows exactly where it’s all headed. Except there is this thing that she tries not to think about. The thing she left in her childhood bedroom.
Ash is having the time of her life. Fresh from leaving a bad relationship, she’s got no idea what’s next. But there’s something about her new flat. The wallpaper pulses and sometimes it sounds like a heartbeat.
Two women. A chance meeting. Giddy kisses they never should have shared. Tender is the story of two people who find each other without even knowing they were looking.
The dazzling and moving new play by Eleanor Tindall (Before I Was A Bear, Soho Theatre) is directed by Emily Aboud (Pink Lemonade, Bush Theatre) and produced by Broccoli Arts and Jessie Anand Productions, the team behind the record-breaking Bush Studio hit This Might Not Be It.
Praise for Before I Was A Bear:
Eleanor Tindall was nominated for Best Writer at the Stage Debut Awards
★★★★★ ‘Gorgeous, hilarious and thrillingly weird’ The Stage
★★★★★ ‘Flawless’ The Spy in the Stalls
Looking for show information and content guidance?
Tender Self-Care Guide and Content Warnings
19 November - 21 DecemberFrom £15
27 November and 4, 11, 18 DecemberFrom £15
30 November and 7, 14, 21 DecemberFrom £15
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From £15.
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14+
See the Self-Care Guide and Content Warnings for more information.
Saturday 30th November at 8pm
Wednesday 4th December at 8pm
Wednesday 11th December at 8pm
Wednesday 11th December at 7pm
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Broccoli Arts produces theatre primarily for/by/about lesbian, bisexual & queer people who experience misogyny. Founded by Salome Wagaine in 2019, now run by Eve Allin, Broccoli exists to produce theatre that has variety, ingenuity and relevance. We enable queer writers and creatives to make work that is not defined solely by identity, aiming to produce work which is enjoyable, political & innovative. Broccoli productions include This Might Not Be It by Sophia Chetin-Leuner (Bush Theatre, 2024), Salty Irina by Eve Leigh (Summerhall, 2023) Before I Was a Bear by Eleanor Tindall (Bunker Theatre, 2019 & Soho Theatre, 2022). Broccoli is supported by Stage One.
Eleanor Tindall is a writer for stage & screen. She is an alumnus of Soho Theatre Writers Lab (2016-17) and has previously taken part in writing workshops run by the Almeida & HighTide. In 2019 her debut full length play Before I Was A Bear was produced by Broccoli Arts at the Bunker Theatre to critical acclaim, gaining her a nomination for Best Writer at the Stage Debut Awards 2020. The play returned to Soho Theatre in 2022. Her new play Tender was a finalist for the Ambassador Theatre Group’s playwriting prize in association with Platform Presents.
Emily Aboud is a Trinidadian theatre director. She was shortlisted for RTST Peter Hall Award in 2023 and shortlisted for the JMK Award in 2022, and 2021. She is a recipient of the Evening Standard Future Theatre Award. Recent credits include Haemosporidian (Lyric Hammersmith), Flip! (Regional Tour and Soho Theatre), Lady Dealer (Paines Plough Roundabout), SPLINTERED (Soho Theatre Mainhouse, also writer), Close Quarters (LAMDA), Salt Slow (RCSSD), BOGEYMAN (Edinburgh Fringe 2022, also writer), Pink Lemonade (Bush Theatre) and Chatham House Rules (Pleasance Theatre). As a Caribbean theatre maker, her work draws inspiration from the political community theatre she grew up making in Trinidad – a combination of music, movement, direct audience address and theatricality.
Jessie Anand Productions makes theatre and opera that is fresh and playful. Since it was founded in 2018, the company has premiered seven new plays, including This Might Not Be It (Bush Theatre), Tiger (Omnibus Theatre), Orlando (VAULT Festival / Pleasance, Edinburgh / 59E59, New York), Pennyroyal (Finborough Theatre), Yellowfin (Southwark Playhouse), MAGDALENE (Arcola Theatre) and Blue Thunder (VAULT Festival). The company has also produced opera and musical theatre, including Antisemitism: a (((musical))) (Camden People’s Theatre) and Cabildo (Wilton’s Music Hall / Arcola Theatre), and is currently working with Maz O’Connor to develop her new musical The Wife of Michael Cleary, which won the MTI Stiles and Drewe Mentorship Award. Jessie Anand Productions is eight times Offie-nominated and supported by Stage One.
