Witty and sensitive mental health play Tapped coming to Scarborough’s Stephen Joseph Theatre

A witty and sensitive portrayal of managing mental health within a family comes to Scarborough’s Stephen Joseph Theatre later this month.

Katie Redford’s Tapped, presented by Bethany Cooper Productions and Theatre503, can be seen in the McCarthy auditorium on Tuesday May 16.

A garage. A flipchart. A pile of Club biscuits. T-shirts that don’t fit. And three people who are really stuck.

Gavi wants to inspire his community. Which is tricky when everyone would prefer to just stay at home and watch Bake Off. Determined to succeed, he starts hosting motivational meetings from his garage for his fellow Co-op colleagues. With daily mantras, goal setting and Spandau Ballet, he believes he can change their lives.

However, when the only two attendees are bickering mother and daughter Dawn and Jen, it’s not quite the enlightening experience they all thought it would be. Dawn wants more from life, Jen wants a brand new life and Gavi just wants Jen in his life; but there’s only so much ‘positive visualisation’ they can all do before simply facing up to the painful reality.

Tapped is a hilarious and honest debut play about eating too many biscuits, missed opportunities, big dreams in small places and how the idea of change is far easier said than done…

Katie Redford is a writer and performer from Nottingham. She won BAFTA Rocliffe TV Comedy in 2019 and is a BBC Comedy Writersroom alumni. Yellow Lips, her debut drama for BBC Radio 4, in which she played the lead, was broadcast in spring 2021, and she has various TV scripts in commissioned development. She also co-wrote, performed in and produced award-winning short film Ghosted, starring Alison Steadman. Tapped is her debut play for stage.

Tapped was first presented as a play reading at the Stephen Joseph. This production is directed by Piers Black. The designer is Ceci Calf, the lighting designer is Lucía Sánchez Roldán and the sound designer is Conrad Kira. The movement director is Kloe Dean. The cast is Jennifer Daley, Olivia Sweeney and Max Hastings.

Tapped can be seen at 7.45pm on Tuesday 16 May. Tickets on 01723 370541 and online at www.sjt.uk.com