Under The Bed

under the bed
By Kira Mason

It’s Luna’s worst nightmare: becoming a thing of nightmares. Even worse, she likes it. Upon discovering the strange realm lurking under her bed and the monster rejoicing in her Noises and Offerings, she’s permanently rattled. But the real world has demands of her that she struggles to meet on a good day, and now she’s dealing with new and unsettling challenges such as light sensitivity, glowing organs, and the need to shed her skin. In this darkly absurd exploration of queerness, neurodivergence, and the horror that is societal norms, Under the Bed challenges our definition of both humans and monsters.

cast

actor

grace baker

as 'Nix'

actor

Eleanor tate

as 'luna'

Director's Note

director

Matthew attwood

Growing up queer and neurodivergent, I experienced a degree of othering or labeling, struggling to understand why being "different" could be misunderstood for being "wrong".

My fascination with monsters began with pop culture, from Scooby Doo to gothic literature such as ‘Frankenstein’ and cult classics like ‘Buffy The Vampire Slayer’ and ‘The Rocky Horror Picture Show’. In many of these narratives, the "monster" is depicted as an individual who has been created or made to feel othered and, in turn, lashes back at society for the isolation they are made to feel.

As a director, I was particularly drawn to flipping the narrative on these "creatures" and discovering the human truths that lie beneath. Under all the joy and horror, the production's core is a story about connection and authenticity, posing the question: are we willing to isolate ourselves and others to conform to societal norms?

writer's note

What’s scarier than a monster lurking under the bed? For me, it’s the idea of becoming that monster, of embracing the monstrousness lurking within oneself. But then this also begs the question: monstrous in the eyes of who? How are we defining monstrousness, and in turn, how do we define being human? I welcome you all to the Underbed—a world apart from societal norms, where everything just ‘is’—and ask that your eyes look on not with judgement but with curiosity.