Director/performer power pair and winners of the 2022 Bruce Mason Playwriting Award, Eleanor Bishop and Karin McCracken (of Body Double, Jane Doe and Yes Yes Yes collaborations) are back for another theatre show that reveals and intimately unfolds a crucial aspect of the human psyche in Heartbreak Hotel, on 28 November – 2 December at Q Theatre.
Having previously handled subjects of consent, attraction and sexuality with care and vigour (with Yes Yes Yes having received Outstanding Performance and Excellence in Theatre for Social Change in Wellington and Excellence for Overall Production in Auckland Theatre awards), the duo have approached matters of the heart from a different direction: ‘What happens when your heart breaks?’
“I wanted to create a show that touched on the almost universal issue of heartbreak,” says writer Karin McCracken. “Eleanor and I were talking to students with the aim of making a new work about emotional resiliency, and we realised that what we ended up discussing revolved around relationships, conflict, and heartbreak. Still relating to these discussions ourselves, we realised the subject of breakups is really ageless, as anyone can go through heartbreak at any stage of their life.”
Heartbreak Hotel incorporates Bishop and McCracken’s signature style of mixed-method storytelling, offering scenes as effective stories within themselves and also as potential case-studies, providing context from research on heartbreak and how best to deal with it, as well as an ultimate breakup playlist of live musical interludes including the titular Heartbreak Hotel by Elvis Presley and Bonnie Raitt’s I Can’t Make You Love Me.
Heartbreak Hotel
Q Theatre | Loft
28 November – 2 December 2023
