Bacon

by Sophie Swithinbank

It's Year 10's first day back at school. Mark is new and too scared to make friends. Darren is out of control and too scary to make friends. The two of them need each other – but neither would ever admit it. Worlds apart, but more similar than they realise, the pair form a complex and manipulative relationship. And before they know it, they're embarking on a dangerous experiment that will alter the course of their lives. Sophie Swithinbank's play  Bacon  is an unflinching and unexpectedly humorous look at masculinity, sexuality and power, through the dizzying lens of youth. First developed on the Soho Theatre Writers' Lab, it won the Tony Craze Award in 2018, and was first produced at the Finborough Theatre, London, in 2022, directed by Matthew Iliffe.

Genres: Plays

88 pages, Paperback

Published April 18, 2023

Reviews

[Harry McDonald · Rating 4 out of 5]

"See just over there there's a group of lads. Catholic lads, watching porn. Together. Right there. As if it's some kind of group activity.

Porn is not a group activity.

Is it?"

[Chelsea Bondzanga · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fun little read. Fleshed our characters, find dialogue, pacing was exciting. I think I enjoyed reading, just wasn’t sure what was trying to be said. Personally never been a fan of the homophobe to closeted homosexual pipeline.

[Hannah · Rating 5 out of 5]

(read for actor and text)
this was really good. the way it was writtern was so clever and I can imagine watching this would be even better. i love the way small details are revealed slowly until the end when everything comes crashing down. discusses themes of class, sexuality, cycles of abuse, and shows how to similar people can have completely different lives based on their circumstances. First play I finished before the day I had to have read it by so that tells you how invested I was 😭

[Richard Price · Rating 4 out of 5]

The dialogue was well written. Two very solid characters which made it an engaging read.
The story was interesting, and I’m not entirely sure I bought into them finding themselves in their situations but I was hooked on every page.

[pastareadsplays · Rating 3 out of 5]

Really liked the rhythm of the monologues, and on the page the last line hit for me. I wonder about the why of this play, the term “trauma porn” keeps popping into my head.