Julie Hesmondhalgh and Norah Lopez Holden in THE ALMIGHTY SOMETIMES at Royal Exchange Theatre, Manchester. Photo © Manuel Harlan
THE ALMIGHTY SOMETIMES
By Kendall Feaver
3 F / 1 M
Drama
English original text
Anna has been prescribed anti-depressants since childhood and has just become of legal age. She is naturally fascinated by the possibility of coming off the pills, but her mother stands in her way trying to keep her safe. The play is a striking examination of society’s attitude to treating mental health problems in teenagers, and of the long-term effects of anti-depressants. But this is not just an issue-drama, it’s much more than this: it is a funny, heartbreaking, acutely alive play boasting vividly drawn and complex characters. It has a sneaky ability to make the audience keep shifting sympathies, which makes this a very impressive debut play.
♦ ♦ ♦
Kendall Feaver
Kendall’s debut play, THE ALMIGHTY SOMETIMES (Manchester Royal Exchange, 2018), won a Judges Award at the 2015 Bruntwood Prize, Best New Play at the 2018 UK Theatre Awards, the 2018 Victorian Premier’s Prize for Drama and the 2018 Nick Enright Prize for Playwriting. For this work she was further nominated at The Stage Debut Awards, The Sydney Theatre Awards, and received a commendation for the Mona Brand Award. Upcoming productions include WHEREVER SHE WANDERS (Griffin Theatre Company, July 2020) and an adaptation of seminal feminist novel, MY BRILLIANT CAREER (Belvoir Street Theatre, September 2020). Kendall has previously written on attachment at the National Theatre Studio and Bush Theatre, and as part of the National Theatre/Genesis Music Theatre Group. She is currently under commission at Manhattan Theatre Club, Empire Street Productions, Belvoir Street Theatre and Aquarius Films. Kendall was recently announced as the 2019 Philip Parsons Fellow at Belvoir Street Theatre.
