A new play exploring women’s experiences of medical misogyny by Late Shift Theatre, a student founded theatre company focussing on lesser heard stories
In Hysterics follows the parallel lives of two women, living 100 years apart, whose stories unfold through a series of doctor’s appointments. Set in the 1920s and the 2020s, the play explores women’s experiences of medical misogyny, revealing how many attitudes, misunderstandings, and injustices within healthcare have remained disturbingly unchanged. Drawing on the personal journeys of these two women alongside verbatim accounts from many others, the play exposes the ongoing failure to adequately study, listen to, and treat women’s bodies. While addressing heavy and distressing subject matter, In Hysterics uses a carefully comedic and farcical tone, allowing serious issues to be confronted through humour that highlights the absurdity of a system that has failed women for over a century.
Trigger warnings: Misogynistic language, mention of sex, medical language, needles, depictions of medical misogyny, mention of blood