The Weather

Synopsis

A kitchen in a suburban home, where the weather outside grows increasingly turbulent and apocalyptic.

Gail, a self-absorbed poet with mental health issues, her husband Bob, and their teenage daughter Ellie navigate a crumbling world and their dysfunctional relationships. As society collapses around them – with terrorist attacks on shopping centres and extreme weather events – the family’s crisis intensifies. A poltergeist begins to manifest in their home, scrawling obscenities on the walls and hurling objects, serving as a metaphor for the family’s repressed trauma and mounting tensions.

Pollard’s play blends dark comedy with unsettling domestic horror, exploring themes of consumerism, climate change, family dysfunction, and sexual abuse. The dialogue crackles with wit and venom as Gail’s manic episodes, Bob’s passivity, and Ellie’s anger collide. The increasingly violent poltergeist activity mirrors the breakdown of social order outside. As their possessions are repossessed and relationships disintegrate, the characters are forced to confront uncomfortable truths about themselves and each other.