Maria isn’t dead yet; she’s just forty.
DEGENERATE is an experimental coming of age comedy, from someone who has already
come of age. Treading the line between storytelling and stand-up, this one woman show
explores the connection between being a women approaching midlife and the lure of the
vampire. Surveying the desolate landscape between desirability and death, Maria (“…feisty,
animated and impassioned” *****) exposes the invisibility of middle age. A rallying cry to
anyone who’s felt othered, empowering them to own their narrative, laugh, dance and, most
importantly, bite back. There will be blood…
Devised by the company, performed by Maria Teresa Creasey, directed by Rebecca Reeves
and produced by Cynthia Rice Hanson, DEGENERATE is the fourth show they have
developed together. this is not a test have produced work for the Clapham Fringe, Camden
Fringe, Collisions Festival, Calm Down Dear and Sprint.
this is not a test make shows that sit somewhere in a surreal Venn diagram where
experimental theatre, stand up and performance meet. Think intense, funny, sometimes
uncomfortable, but always a bloody good story. After birthing four boys, a PhD and
managing a transatlantic relocation, they are marking their return to the creative arena with a
show that champions the joy, the pain and the downright horror of turning forty and
wondering how the hell you got there.
Press & Reviews
PRAISE FOR PREVIOUS WORK FOR MARIA TERESA CREASEY:
“finely nuanced performance” - The Herald
“resonant, quirky and perfectly pitched” - Glasgow Theatre Blog
“...feisty, animated and impassioned” - CultBox
“leaves us wanting more” - Always Time for Theatre
AUDIENCE QUOTES FOR PREVIOUS WORK FROM this is not a test:
“That was f*cking amazing. I felt like I was on LSD.”
“The world’s first play to take inspiration from Chekhov and Kendrick Lamar.”
“Mesmerising, funny and clever!”
“Fantastic show. At the end I wanted to split my face down the middle so one half could cry and the other could laugh.”
Cast & Creative Team Performer: Maria Teresa Creasey
Director: Rebecca Reeves
Writers: Maria Teresa Creasey and Rebecca Reeves
Producer: Cynthia Rice Hanson
Dramaturg/Production Manager: Rory Trevethan