UNFOLD New Works: HAIRWORM by Emma Wright 

HAIRWORM tells the story of a troubled teenage girl living with an eating disorder, from the onset of the illness right through to her recovery and negotiation of the world after her diagnosis. Her inner workings and motivations are investigated as she battles her fears, her desire to fit in (to not stick out) and consequent feelings of guilt and blame, her loved ones, her peers, and her rivals. The play places her stream of consciousness front and center as she embarks on a quest for knowledge and truth, to gain an understanding of herself and the world around her, and how the two collide. It provides insight into the mindset of someone diagnosed with anorexia nervosa, those 1 in 20 Australians afflicted by this condition, as well as the affects on the family unit responsible for supporting a loved one at a time when their rational brain has been overridden. It is an exploration of body dysmorphia, of the innate feelings of inadequacy and of not fitting in to society?s perceivably predetermined mould. It invites audiences to consider the ways we contend with both internal and external pressures and expectations, the ones in our minds often responsible for our self- destructive urges and dependencies. This is her life. Her routine. Her reality.