Breathless (a true life story of the knife-edge of hoarding) to play Soho Theatre from 7th Febuary

Breathless
@ Soho Theatre
Written by Laura Horton. Performed by Madeleine Macmahon. Directed by Stephanie Kempson
Tue 7 – Sat 18 Feb 2023 // PRESS NIGHT – 8th Feb.
sohotheatre.com/shows/breathless

FRINGE FIRST WINNER – 2022

“You can’t move simply between things. My flat is stuffed with possessions and the recollections I attach to them.
I feel equally suffocated and sated by my cave of treasures.”

Praise for Breathless – Edinburgh 2022

“Effortlessly entertaining, and moving” Voice Magazine ★★★★★

“The excellently emotional ending makes every member of the room so happy to watch the sea-change in our now-beloved hoarder of ‘amazing things … The way [Madeleine Macmahon] plucks her potential love-match, Joe, from thin air & makes them a very tangible presence in the room is astonishing” The Scotsman ★★★★

“An articulate and passionate call for understanding, that balances psychological depth and kindness”
The List ★★★★

“Laura Horton’s sensitive and sharply observed script… is beautifully performed by Madeleine MacMahon”
The Mumble ★★★★

Heading to Soho Theatre following its Fringe First winning run in Edinburgh, Breathless is a funny, honest and stylish exploration of the knife-edge of hoarding, from the joy to the addiction and suffocating shame. From Laura Horton’s (Plymouth Laureate of Words) own experience of clothes hoarding. What happens when the things we covet hide us from ourselves?

Opening up to new experiences in her late-thirties, Sophie is exploring long repressed sides of herself. When a secret she’s keeping from those she loves, and even from herself, threatens to unravel it all, she has to make a choice. Who or what will she decide to give up?

“Here at TRP we couldn’t be happier to be transferring BREATHLESS into the Soho Theatre, following its massive success at the Fringe last year. BREATHLESS is a homegrown show that was conceived and developed through our artists development programmes. It speaks to our ambitions to make exciting new work in Plymouth that we can share across the country. Laura’s writing is tender, funny, and quietly powerful. The play has moved and delighted audiences across Plymouth and Edinburgh and will continue to resonate wherever it goes.” Ben Lyon-Ross Head of Artist Development

As a companion piece to Breathless, writer Laura Horton is launching a new project; “Hidden By Things”. This is a podcast and unique digital community campaign to raise awareness of hoarding behaviours and make people, not their things, the heart of the conversation. The Hidden By Things podcast created by Laura seeks to de-stigmatise hoarding behaviours, offering an insight into people’s personal stories and experiences speaking to guests including Paul Cooper who works with Hoarding Disorders UK and Kimi Gordon, Peer Mentor and Advocate of Hoarding UK. Laura is also inviting people to donate an item of clothing with a story attached. The stories can be anything from memories to anecdotes. A label linking to the Hidden By Things campaign can then be hand sewn into the piece before it’s donated it charity. Using the hashtag #hiddenbythings on social media and a website, people can find the stories.