MAN OR BEAR to Make Edinburgh Fringe Run With Katie Hurley and Sarah Hehir
The darkly comic play features Amaia Naima Aguinaga and is presented in association with Croydonites Festival.
MAN OR BEAR, a new play inspired by the viral question, "Would you rather be alone in the woods with a man or a bear?", will be presented at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe.
Co-created by Funny Women Award finalist Katie Hurley and playwright Sarah Hehir, the production follows three generations of women navigating the realities of male violence, fear, and survival. Blending naturalistic storytelling with music and physical theatre, the play centers on a mother and teenage daughter who seek refuge with a stranger, while an ever-present bear looms over the story.
The production stars Amaia Naima Aguinaga (The Chaos That Has Been and Will No Doubt Return; THIS IS NOT ABOUT ME) alongside Hurley, who also serves as producer.
“We see the way the world is for women sliding quickly back towards brutality and inequality and we're all too often being told it isn't. Or that it's our fault,” said Hehir. “And even when the subject of violence against women and girls is addressed in drama, the female voice is too often marginalised. So we wrote this play. It's pacy, funny and beautiful. And it's also a howl of rage in a forest where meeting a bear could be safer than running into a man.”
Developed in association with Croydonites Festival and supported by Arts Council England, the production was created through research and workshops with female-identifying participants in Croydon and Medway. The creative team also worked alongside charities including SafeLives, incorporating firsthand accounts and lived experiences into the development process.
The play explores themes of abuse, neglect, resilience, and solidarity, while giving voice to women whose perspectives are often overlooked. As the story moves toward its conclusion, MAN OR BEAR examines how fear shapes lives and relationships in contemporary society.
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