Anthem For Dissatisfaction has dates in Worthing and Chichester in November
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Rock, punk, pop, politics and poverty collide in this coming of age tale set in recession torn Britain.
Anthem for Dissatisfaction is a play written and co-directed by Gina Donnelly, that follows Sarah and Jamie from boisterous 11-year olds to the end of their 20s as they contemplate their futures.
As part of an extensive tour of south-east England the show can be seen in Sussex at Connaught Theatre, Worthing on 19 November and Chichester Festival Theatre on 21 November. See https://housetheatre.org.uk/events/anthem-for-dissatisfaction for full details and to book.
In the 2007 credit crunch siblings Sarah and Jamie are growing up in Belfast with a shared obsession of music and the weight of parents on the breadline. Rock, pop, and punk rail against austerity Britain and an ever-failing government, giving them an epic score to navigate lives that are destined for different paths.
Generation spanning songs by Oasis, The Jam, Thin Lizzy, Bruce Springsteen, Sam Fender and more scream at the state of the nation, tugging at the memories of what it means to grow up on benefits in a country where poverty became a punchline. Benefits Britain never sounded so good…
In a five star review The Indiependent claimed ‘Words can’t do justice to how good Anthem for Dissatisfaction is!’
Jamie is the baby of the family. He has absolutely no tact, no patience and no filter. But where did they ever get anyone? Sarah is 11 months and 4 days older which means she’s smarter, she’s cooler and she’s right about everything.
She was right that Oasis were freedom, she was right that Manic Street Preachers were poetry, and she was right to be worried when dad lost his job. And in 2023 everything’s going wrong again, the bills keep going up and the opportunities keep going down. Sarah and Jamie aren’t two kids in one bedroom anymore, the future is uncertain and there’s only so long you can hang on to the past.
A defiant “rip-roaring tour de force” fuelled by the music and people who speak to your soul and punch you in the gut. The play rejoices in working-class wit, integrity and disarming honesty. Never afraid to tackle the subjects including loss, death and grief it also sparkles with a joyful, mischievous humour that has audiences laughing, cheering and singing along.
‘Co-director Tony Devlin said ‘Gina’s play is an explosion of working-class frustration against a system, specifically designed for them not to succeed. It’s a powerful and hilarious commentary of the cost of living status quo as well as the current state of chassis in the world, told through two characters that we cannot help but love and wish to succeed’.
In their five star review BingeFringe described it as ‘A celebration of the music that understands what it is to be broke, disregarded, and angry about it ... heartbreaking, healing, and affirming’.
In 2025 the show was a huge award-winning success at the Edinburgh and Dublin Fringe festivals. It stars Emily Lamey and Simon Sweeney.
The original run of ‘Anthem for Dissatisfaction’ was commissioned by Brassneck Theatre Company through ACNI Commissioning Fund and co-produced by Brassneck Theatre Company and SkelpieLimmer Productions.
The tour is produced by house southeast theatre network which supports arts venues by improving the range, quality and scale of theatre presented across South East and East England and exists to build the audience for contemporary theatre across the region. It does this by supporting venues and artists to develop audiences and by helping to create a long-term infrastructure for touring. house is led and delivered by Farnham Maltings and supported by Arts Council England.
Worthing, 19 November, 7.30pm
Connaught Studio, WTM, Connaught Theatre, Union Place, Worthing, West Sussex, BN11 1LG
Tickets from £16.25 (Price includes all mandatory fees, including £1.75 transaction fee) https://wtm.uk
Chichester, 21 November, 8pm The Nest at Chichester Festival Theatre, Oaklands Park, Chichester, PO19 6AP Tickets £15, £5 Prologue members www.cft.org.uk/thenest