Ficky Stingers

Synopsis

In a gritty, working-class pub in 1980s Britain, the air thick with cigarette smoke and unfulfilled desires, three women navigate the treacherous waters of sexuality and violence

Woman, the central character, recounts a harrowing tale of sexual assault by Terry, a local lothario. As she grapples with the aftermath, her friends Lisa and Linda unwittingly become entangled in Terry’s web of manipulation and abuse. Through a series of vignettes set in pubs, bedrooms, and grimy alleyways, the play explores the insidious nature of sexual violence and the complicity of silence.

Eve Lewis’s Ficky Stingers is a raw, unflinching examination of sexual assault, trauma, and the culture of victim-blaming. The play’s non-linear structure, interspersed with poetic monologues and visceral physical sequences, creates a disorienting effect that mirrors the protagonists’ fractured psyches. As the women’s stories intertwine, the play builds to a devastating climax that forces audiences to confront uncomfortable truths about power, consent, and the long-lasting impact of sexual violence.