Melissa Johns stars in world premiere of her debut play Snatched on tour and online

Melissa Johns is to star in the world premiere of her debut play Snatched.

Melissa Johns (ITV’s Grantchester, Donmar Warehouse’s Henry V)’s Snatched will run at The Lowry in Salford from 13-14 May before transferring to London’s Soho Theatre from 16-18 May.

Snatched will then tour to Unity Theatre, Liverpool (16 June), Octagon Theatre, Bolton (18 June), Northern Stage, Newcastle (21 – 22 June), Yvonne Arnaud Theatre, Guildford (24 June), The Pound Arts Centre, Corsham (25 June), Chapter Arts Centre, Cardiff (29 June) and Courtyard Theatre, Hereford (1 July).

In 2018, disabled actor, Melissa Johns’ iCloud was hacked and explicit photos of her were released online. Snatched is Melissa Johns’ response to this event, a humorous and revealing show that displays no remorse in championing female sexuality, fighting body shaming and the taboo of sex and disability.

A young disabled woman with a history of body dysmorphia comes to terms with her body becoming public property. Snatched is a fast-paced, uplifting one woman show accompanied by a live 90’s/00’s soundtrack.

SNATCHED, which has been in development since 2019 as part of ‘Developed With’ – The Lowry’s flagship artist development programme, sees Melissa Johns take ownership of her story by re-writing it in her own words as a ‘court case’ against body shaming within society and the media. Directed by Lily Levin, this powerful play is a fight against the malicious comments that surfaced online about her body and disability in response to the leaked images and the media that wanted to write a negative narrative around her.

Produced by Melissa Johns and Anthony Kosky, the full creative team are Melissa Johns (writer and performer), Lily Levin (director and co-devisor), Sophie Simensky (design), Katrin Padel (lighting), Fergus Waldron (sound), Kate Galbraith (stage manager) and Lauren Cross (sound operator). Musician Imogen Halsey (Just So) will tour with the production, providing the live soundtrack accompaniment.

Antonia Beck, Senior Producer: Artist Development at The Lowry said: “We are delighted to be presenting the world premiere of ‘SNATCHED’ at The Lowry, and we can’t wait for audiences to experience this dynamic and bold new production from Melissa Johns and Lily Levin that taps into very current conversations around body dysmorphia and body shaming.

“Through our work at The Lowry, we are passionate about supporting and elevating marginalised female artists and investing both in the development of their work as artists and their careers as creative and cultural leaders. It’s been a pleasure to work with Melissa and Lily through our ‘Developed With The Lowry’ programme, and to support them to create this thought-provoking new work that provides a much-needed platform for a disabled female artist to speak directly and avidly about her experiences.”

For more information and tickets, visit thelowry.com