Dirty Butterfly was written by Debbie Tucker Green and was first performed in 2003.
Amelia and Jason both have a mutual neighbour: Jo. They listen through the walls and know something strange and dark (violence) is going on but they do nothing about it despite it having such a massive impact on each of their lives.
Amelia tries to blank the noise out by sleeping on the sofa downstairs whilst Jason becomes obsessed with eavesdropping even to the point where he becomes unusually and uncomfortably aroused by the situation.
“The three of them have lives that interlock but never connect directly. There has obviously been some previous relationship between Amelia and Jason. There is also a sense that Amelia and Jo were once friends but no more which may explain why she does nothing about the noises coming through the wall.”
“Although ostensibly a one-act play that runs straight through, there is a distinct feeling that Dirty Butterfly is two acts. The first being conversations between the characters through the paper thin walls of their homes and the second being a confrontation between Jo and Amelia.”
– Terry Eastham, 29-04-17
Stage directions are that the actors remain on stage throughout the entire performance and surround the actors. At times, the performers may interact but most of the time they are locked up in their own mindsets, providing the audience a fascinating visual captivating because of the strong, unique characters. Jason seems unable to grasp human touch whilst Amelia wants to avoid Jo’s mess compromising her respectability.
The play is described as “brutally poetic”. It challenges audiences to face the topics of domestic abuse, sexual curiosities, racial challenges and distrust of the authorities.
“‘You ever woken up of a mornin wonderin if this one was gonna be your last – you ever got that feelin in your stomach as you lay there wonderin that? Like butterflies. Like butterflies gone ballistic. Like butterflies gone wrong.'” “Listening through their thin walls, Amelia and Jason are drawn into the dark and compelling world of their mutual neighbor Jo.” –Book Jacket.
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