Story of a modern relationship - Flinch - comes to Scarborough's Stephen Joseph Theatre

A raw, unsettling comedy, Flinch is an intense 80-minute show that forces you, the audience, to occupy an uncomfortable space as both jury and accomplice

Flinch is a darkly comic examination of a modern relationship. It can be seen at the Stephen Joseph Theatre on Wednesday November 17.

Jess is an actor, or will be, as soon as she hears back from her latest audition. Mark works in the city, an up-and-coming trader who’s never really made it past the starting line. The pair are definitely fine, almost-some-of-the-time – until the night they have an experience that threatens to change everything.

When Mark reacts unexpectedly in the face of a violent mugging, his girlfriend Jess is left questioning the cornerstones of their relationship. Is she right to feel betrayed by Mark’s refusal to defend her – even when the incident turns out to have been a harmless prank? As the young couple try to mend their relationship, rom-com sparring reveals something more sinister: a thorny and unsettling discussion of gender politics that refuses to take sides.

A raw, unsettling comedy, Flinch is an intense 80-minute show that forces you, the audience, to occupy an uncomfortable space as both jury and accomplice. By presenting us with recognisable characters rather than moral pariahs, the play holds up a mirror up to our own most private instincts.

Writer Emma Hemingford will be playing Jess and Benjamin Aluwihare will be playing Mark. Flinch is directed by Gemma Aked-Priestley.

Emma said: “I'm so excited to be back on stage and to be performing in venues across the UK! Flinch is a dark comedy about the way gender roles affect a young couple's relationship. Jess and Mark both say and do some ugly things behind closed doors - but that's what makes them such fun characters to play. I can't wait to get going, and thanks to the Arts Council for making it all possible!”

Benjamin Aluwihare says: "I'm thrilled to be playing Mark and look forward to exploring some of the play's trickier questions, like, when push comes to shove, do you dare to be the hero?"

Flinch can be seen at 7.30pm on Wednesday November 17. Tickets, priced from £10, are available from the box office on 01723 370541 and online at www.sjt.uk.com -ends –