The Maladies

'I'm tired of living in a world that's not mine.'

1508. France. A woman dances compulsively – and soon hundreds join her.

1962. Tanzania. A schoolgirl's laughing fit spreads from village to village.

2011. USA. Cheerleaders are overcome by uncontrollable twitching.

2023. London. A group of women suddenly lose the ability to speak – and no one can figure out why. The team at an all-female podcast decide to investigate and end up on a journey of discovery, uncovering more than they bargained for.

The Maladies by Carmen Nasr is a powerful, provocative play, offering rich material for schools, colleges and youth theatres, particularly those looking for leading roles for young women. It was devised with the Almeida Young Company, directed by Yasmin Hafesji, and first performed at The Yard Theatre, London, in April 2022.



Carmen Nasr is a British-Lebanese writer, whose other plays include Dubailand (Finborough), The Climbers (Theatre by the Lake) and The House of My Father (longlisted for the Bruntwood Prize).



'Charming and thought-provoking... gives voices to the voiceless... really powerful and nuanced writing from Nasr, whose source material gives the cast a lot to sink their teeth into'



'Really appealing and relevant… the characters all have a connection that students will connect to and playing out a story through different time periods would be a lot of fun… ideal for school performance, but would also make a great stimulus for GCSE or A Level work'