The Ugly Sisters at Contact, Manchester (October 11-12) is from award-winning company RashDash.
They use music, physical theatre and a script to tackle the issues of body image in the media. By turning Prince Charming’s bride-finding ball into a reality TV show, they explore why it’s okay to vilify people based on their looks.
The play was inspired by report Just The Women, which looked at 11 publications over a fortnight, and found over 1,300 pieces of editorial and images which illustrated different forms of sexism in the media.
It was a hit at Edinburgh Fringe 2012.
Mess, also at the Contact, Manchester, October 16-17 was also a hit there, winning the company the Stage Award for Best Ensemble, and has toured extensively since. The play is based on Caroline Horton’s experiences of anorexia.
She won the Stage Award for Best Solo Performer in 2010 and was nominated for an Olivier with her show You’re Not Like Other Girls Chrissy.