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In his isolated tower on an island in the river, Martuni is besieged by suitors on his dating app, trying to lure him into the outside world. Reaper dreams he is a double-headed foetus, yet longs to be a dog at the foot of Martuni's bed; Shepherd invites himself round for chicken sandwiches and trifle, and wants to know whether interest rates will go up, down or remain roughly about the same; Page wants to rescue Martuni in a hot air balloon and save him from the surrounding war, drought and environmental collapse. Martuni responds by weaving his tapestry and pleasuring himself, until one day he falls in love and his world begins to change. The Gentleman of Shalott is a queer adaptation of Tennyson's poem The Lady of Shalott influenced by the Theatre of the Absurd. It explores themes of isolation; social media-induced anxiety; neurodiversity and our unwillingness to confront the climate crisis. Through the character of Martuni, we are challenged to question who we might pretend to be and what lives we might invent for ourselves if we were prevented from meeting anyone in the real world.

Creatives/Company

Author: Gareth Watkins