The Disability Book Archive

[ID: A book cover. The background is bright red. The title “peeling” is written across the centre in large lowercase dark blue lettering. Below this, centre right, the author’s name “Kaite O’Reilly” in smaller white writing. Down the length of the centre, art of three silhouettes. The centre silhouette is white, the right and left silhouettes are grey. They show three women in tall dresses with large skirts. The centre white dress skirt is broken into sections. Each section shows various silhouettes in various sizes and poses. /end]

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Content Warning:

• Ableism
• Swearing
• References to Death
• References to Death of a Parent
• Violence (Described)
• References to War (Real and Fictional)
• References to Concentration Camps
• References to the Holocaust
• Medication Use
• References to Reduced Life Expectancy and Dying Young
• References to Fictional Child Death and Murder
• References to Fictional Murder
• Sexual References
• Medical Content
• References to a Fire
• Toxic Parental Relationships
• Pregnancy
• Losing A Child (Adoption, Talks of Abortion)
• Forced Sterilisation
• References to Climate Change
• Implied Miscarriage

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Summary:

“Peeling” was commissioned by Graeae Theatre Company and premiered at The Door, Birmingham Repertory Theatre, in February 2002. Alpha, Beaty and Coral – three actresses in ridiculous dresses – bicker, chat, heckle and share tales of sex, lies and recipes in absurd isolation as an epic production unfolds around, and inspite of them. Gradually their devastating truths are uncovered, leaving them stripped of all pretence in Kaite O’Reilly’s darkly comic play on women, war and the things we hide.

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Notes:

You can find this play in an anthology of O’Reilly’s work titled Atypical Plays for Atypical Actors, and I think you may also be able to buy it by itself.

There is no audiobook.

There is an ebook and/or online version. I do not know if there is a kindle editon.

According to a note preceding the play, the script used to write this entry was used for the Forest Forge Theatre Company’s national tour in 2011.

This play uses a mix of Audio Description and BSL (British Sign Language) built into the actual dialogue. The characters take it in turns to individually describe certain actions on stage.

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Archivist Comments:

Coral: And if we’re going to be looked at, anyway, we might as well get paid for it.

O’Reilly, Kaite. ‘peeling’. Scene 1

This entire play is 3 scenes long and took me two hours to read- and that was only because I kept coming back here to note stuff down. It’s short, but it packs a hell of a lot in in such a short space. It started off quite funny, took an immediate left turn and just- It’s good. I’ve made a mental note to try and see a performance if one ever crops up because I really just don’t think solely reading it does it enough justice.

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