Storked is a vignetted interrogation of all things uterine: what it means to have a uterus, the expectations of having a uterus, and the “choice to choose.” The play looks at periods, pregnancy, monogamy, family, parenting, sex, and what it means to choose to have children in today’s world.
The show is told across four acts, broken down into a mixture of skits, short narratives and thought explorations, each with their own witty title card, wrapping each moment into a neat bow. What’s truly impressive here is that throughout every single segment, it all connects seamlessly to the key idea at the show’s core; what it means to have a uterus, regardless of your gender.
The pacing was fantastic, and each act threw a different tonal angle at you with what it wanted to say. The first act was my favourite, a great mix of absurdist comedy following a brutal body horror opening. As the show progressed, this first act was the perfect reminder of the range of each performer on stage. As the scenes and themes became heavier, I was reminded of how much each actor made me laugh, then so easily in another context made my heart break for them. I always find it impressive how you can dive so deep into a topic and really strike a chord but do so whilst still making the audience laugh, which Storked pulled off effortlessly, through witty writing and exceptional use of physical comedy.
Storked took on an excellent use of staging, incorporating technology in a way that really added another level to the show. The titles of each scene made me giggle every time, even when the performance accompanying it put a pit in my stomach; a perfect encapsulation of how this show twists and turns tone, whilst somehow never tipping the pendulum entirely in favour of one or the other in a really remarkable balancing act.
At the end of the performance, it was an added thrill to scroll through the cast and crew listing and see a sea of nonbinary and femme pronouns taking the majority. As a queer femme myself, this makes my heart sing. To know how authentic and true to life these stories are, how insane the stakes become in sections of these vignettes, but still connect so deeply with the material its tackling, is because it all comes from a collective of people who share this frustration, fatigue and downright rage for the societal systems that force us to think about these things all the time from far too young of an age.
Storked is a true blend of genres, taking elements of body horror, satirical comedy, spoken word poetry and blending it into a hilarious, devastating and ultimately truthful exploration of what it means to have a womb.
To book tickets to Storked, please visit https://antipodestheatre.com/.
Photography:- Angel Leggas 3 Fates Media
