From Audience Members of IMPACT25
"It is rare to find a piece of theatre that makes grad school look exactly as funny and horrifying as it feels. Part ethnography, part collective exorcism — all too accurate, WOOMcollaborative's Darling invites audiences to be research assistants and thesis committee pouring over journal entries and audio recordings on an intimate journey of qualitative content analysis... emphasis on intimate. A show for anyone who’s ever begged an advisor for feedback, Darling was like a peer-reviewed panic attack."
— Zach McKendrick
"To me, Darling felt immediate and alive. Jennifer’s performance was hilarious and engaging. It grounded the mix of archive, memory and audience interaction with sincerity and wit. The simple, honest staging and real-time responses to audience engagement created a sense of shared discovery and connection that kept me questioning my own reactions. A thoughtful, funny and darling piece of meaningful theatre."
— Lily Schumacher
"Darling was an amazing, immersive experience; I loved how the shoe made us part of the archive and the mystery of who "Darling" is, and Erin's emotional journey through memory, doubt, and obsession felt painfully honest and deeply relatable"
— Yazan Maarouf
Darling Returns in IMPACT 25
Originally presented in May of 2022 at the University of Waterloo’s Theatre of the Arts, we were very happy to re-stage Darling in our successful submission and acceptance into IMPACT 2025.
Description of the Performance
A manila envelope containing three cassette tapes and one journal from 1976 unravels MA student Erin Zeigler’s entire thesis before her dissertation defense. The story of a woman and her gynecologist lover leaves Erin with a burning question she cannot get out of her mind, even in her dreams:
Who is “Darling”?
Through various media (sound, video, performance, and interactive pedagogical technology), this production explores the archive of a woman from the past known only as “Darling.”
Photo credit: Brooke Barnes
Content Warnings & Performance Notes: Coarse and sexual language. Audience participation: please leave your phones ON but have your notifications OFF as this performance is interactive. Please open join.nearpod.com on your phone. A code will be up on the screen to log on, and you will be directed to answer survey questions as part of this performance. Your answers will be anonymous.