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Smoke and Mirrors is set in a circus where everything is inside out and upside down. This expressionistic play takes us from once-upon-a-time, when a girl was a starry-eyed dreamer, to the harsh here-and-now, when she is in her twenties and even looking at her reflection is too painful. The impact of her eating disorder on those around her is spotlit, as are some of the contributing pressures, from gossipy groups to glossy magazines. Be careful what you wish for! She longs to be so thin that she disappears. Now you see her … now you don't!
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Female | Unspecified | under 3 minutes
Starts on page 54
EXTRACT: ...leaving school, getting a job, backpacking in Europe, breaking hearts, having her heart broken. Landing a job, losing a job, finding an even better job - quitting on a whim, travelling on impulse, feeling truly free, walking down the aisle, setting up a home on a shoestring, buying furniture. Starting a family. The stretch marks, being the tooth fairy. I'm so very afraid she's not going to have any of that.
Female | Unspecified | 3 to 5 minutes
Starts on page 12
EXTRACT: I screamed! So was every child in the tent. Everyone was yelling and screaming and jumping up and down. Except your Uncle Pete. He was just sitting there, like a statue, silent, with his arm held rigidly in the air. 'Me, me, me!' I shouted. And the ringmaster's huge whip reached out, out, towards me - 'Yes!, Me!' I yelled ... but it was the ringmaster's whip tapped Uncle Pete.
Female | Teen | under 3 minutes
Starts on page 62
EXTRACT: I'm so tired. I'm tired of waking up every day thinking 'How am I going to get through the day?' Of trying to fill in all the empty hours. I'm tired of hiding, of pretending, of lying. I'm tired of my mother smothering me. She's like the Cheshire cat - she smiles and smiles and smiles when the rest of her has faded, when it's way too late.
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