ArtsLab: Reverb - ′manic pixie meltdown′ by Thea Jade at Shopfront Arts Co-op

Teddy is furious with the ‘Manic Pixie Dream Girl’ trope. Convinced it’s a dangerous concept, she embarks on a darkly comedic crusade to take it down.

Fed up with being romanticised for her neurodivergence, she tries to get her ragtag support group – fellow Questacon employees – on side with her plan: eradicate the trope altogether by eliminating its most prominent examples – the manic pixie dream girls themselves.

But her mission spirals into self-examination as they grapple with where the stereotype ends and their genuine selves begin. Can she reclaim agency over her identity, or will her quest to dismantle Hollywood take a monstrous turn?

Banding together for murder and chaos, manic pixie meltdown is led by an all-neurodivergent AFAB main cast, director and writer.

Written by Thea Jade

Directed by Karina Young

Mentored by Jules Orcullo