Southern Bedfellows

by Riley McCarthy

Under Construction

Photo: Benny Thaibert

Graphics : copyright Dina Rosenmeier

The Plot

UK: Southern Bedfellows follows the love relationship and passionate identity struggles between two children, both of them growing up on a fluid, non-binary gender spectrum – facing choices unseen by any but themselves. As teenagers, they challenge the universal boundaries of sexuality, gender, poverty and religion. Sparks fly when identities are challenged. What happens through it all, to their gentle yet violent willingness to love only each other? Come and see… Don’t miss this seminal fresh work by one of the most significant voices in playwrighting today: American, non-binary playwright Riley McCarthy. Southern Bedfellows is part of this season focusing on new LGBTQ+ stories, in collaboration with Bøssehuset.

DK: Southern Bedfellows på CPH Stage er en verdenspremiere instrueret af den danske instruktør Christoffer Berdal. I 2020 opførte Jody Fish det kritikerroste stykke “Harry Clarke”, som ligeledes udforskede kønsidentitet. Southern Bedfellows (Sengekammerater fra syden”) følger to ikke-binære kønsidentitetsbørn Jo Ellen and under deres opvækst i den sydlige amerikanske delstat Alabama. Temaer som seksualitet, kønsidentitet, fattigdom og religion udforskes. Stykket tager os på en rejse ind i deres forhold igennem 16-år, hvor gnisterne flyver, og både deres identiteter og viljestyrke til at leve sammen udfordres.

SPILLEDATOER: 10 juni – 12 juni, 2021

VENUE: Bøssehuset, Christiania

VARIGHED: 1 time

SPROG: Engelsk

INSTRUKTØR: Christoffer Berdal

DRAMATIKER: Riley McCarthy

MEDVIRKENDE: Jody Fish & AnneLise Nielsen

Directed by

Christoffer Berdal

Christoffer Berdal, one of Denmark’s most sought-after, groundbreaking theatre directors, has directed more than 80 plays – notable original Danish and international drama, Scandinavian classics, musicals, Shakespeare, drama and comedies, at The Danish Royal Theatre, Betty Nansen Theatre, Aarhus Theatre, Folketeatret, Odense Teater, Den Færøske Nationalscene and more.

Christoffer Berdal is widely considered to have significantly influenced the course of Danish theatre since his debut in 1998. Just 1 year after graduating from the Danish National School of Theatre, he was awarded a Reumert (Talent Prize for Direction) and has been nominated for the award several times since.

As a pioneer of socially conscious theatre, Berdal created “Who Are We?,” a live performance capturing the thoughts and dreams of young Palestinians and Iraqis trapped in the enormous refugee camp outside Amman, Jordan, casting the refugees themselves as actors. He has held theatre workshops in the bush of Malawi with HIV-positive performers. Audiences know Berdal well, also as the director of “Home Sweet Home” (Hjem Kære Hjem), a play which deals with the toll of peacekeeping in war-torn Iraq on Scandinavian soldiers, that Berdal directed successfully in New York.

HIT- Copenhagen is delighted to present Riley McCarthy’s original play “Southern Bedfellows“ with Christoffer Berdal at the directorial helm.

A collaboration with Bøssehuset and with the generous support of Københavns Scenekunstudvalg.

Cast:

Haywood

Jody Fish

Jody performed in summer stock theatres alongside numerous Broadway actors while growing up in Cape Cod, Massachusetts.

He made his return to the stage in Copenhagen for Pride Monologues and won outstanding 5 star reviews and was recognised by CPH Post as English Language Trailblazer of the year for his solo performance in the critically acclaimed one-man play Harry Clarke, directed by Joseph Sherlock in 2020.

Jody is also gaining momentum in the film industry, having been cast in several short films, commercials and voiceovers. Jody has had extensive theatrical training both in the US and Europe, and holds a degree in linguistics, with specialisation in accent research.

JoEllen

AnneLise Nielsen

She/They is an actor and choreographer originally from the South Shore of Boston. After graduating with a BA in Theater from the University of Massachusetts-Amherst, Nielsen moved to New York City – taking classes at MNActing Studio, Upright Citizens Brigade, Actors Green Room, doing standup open mic nights, and gained credits across stage and screen, including:

THROUGH THE WREN – an immersive gothic fairytale featured at Wildrence, THE LIFE AND DEATH OF QUEEN MARGARET at Theater For The New City, THE DREAM PLAY and Brecht’s SEVEN DEADLY SINS – lead by Paulina Jonsdottir (under the guidance of Ann Bogart) at Columbia’s Shapiro Theater, THE BRINK OF US at South Oxford Space, VIVA PICTURES’ The Samaritans and IFC’s COMEDY CRIB’s Wedding Season .
In September 2019, Nielsen moved to Copenhagen to attend København Film og Teaterskole, in hopes of further connecting to danish culture, language, and performance. They joined the Summer Sunday Outdoor Reading Series and helped guide audiences through Copenhagen Pride’s participatory art installment, I AM (love)D.
For more information visit: AnneliseN.com