Tiny Thin Woman Inside by C. Meaker

After joining an office initiative to lose weight, Mickey vomits her Tiny Thin Woman Inside into existence. Inspired by the popular meme that there’s a tiny, thin woman inside every woman if she’d only stop eating “crap,” Tiny Thin Woman Inside explores the relationship women have with their bodies, media representations of weight loss, queer dating while fat, and general anxiety about the violence inherent in...
After joining an office initiative to lose weight, Mickey vomits her Tiny Thin Woman Inside into existence. Inspired by the popular meme that there’s a tiny, thin woman inside every woman if she’d only stop eating “crap,” Tiny Thin Woman Inside explores the relationship women have with their bodies, media representations of weight loss, queer dating while fat, and general anxiety about the violence inherent in trying to fit into a societal norm of size.
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Tiny Thin Woman Inside

Recommended by

  • Nick Malakhow:
    25 Jul. 2022
    “ This play is amazing! Meaker uses heightened theatricality so well to draw stark attention to the ways society pits women and femme folk against one another and themselves and their bodies in so many ways. They tackle body image, disordered eating, fatness/fitness, health provider gaslighting, and a lot more. They manage to do this in a play that is equal parts hilarious and heartbreaking and scary--fine lines to straddle. I also appreciated the nuanced and complex and just so natural queer representation. I'd love to see this produced! ”
  • Jacquelyn Floyd-Priskorn:
    18 Nov. 2021
    “ Mickey's monologue half-way through the play had me wiping away tears. It all felt so familiar while remaining a bit surreal. This dark comedy will stick with me for a while. We are constantly being told about the thin woman inside of us, if only we would let her out. But once she's out, what darkness or emptiness will take her place? And will this just be the first reveal in a never ending nesting doll of reaching for an unreachable ideal? ”
  • Rachel Lynett:
    6 Nov. 2019
    “ This play holds an incredible truth about existence while somehow being so funny...and so not. I love how this play gets right to the issue of what it means to be "fit" and challenges the reader/audience to examine their own relationship with "fitness" and offers a thorough dissection of what that even means. I love this play! A perfect snapshot of our current hilarious problematic reality. ”
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MICKEY, obese, queer woman in her mid to late thirties
LITTLE MICKEY, young Mickey around 10-12, not played by an actual child
TINY THIN WOMAN, a tiny, thin woman who kinda looks like Mickey
JACKLYN, Average weight, queer woman in her late twenties to early thirties
TINA and others, thin or average weight woman
LINDA and others, thin or average weight woman
JANE and others, thin or average weight woman
DOCTOR and Host, Male Anchor, a slightly overweight or average man, any age

Padding is not to be used to make the characters appear overweight.

LITTLE MICKEY should not be played by an actual child.

Casting for all but Doctor should be open to trans* actors.

Development History

  • Workshop
    ,
    The Scratch Seattle
    ,
    2019
  • Reading
    ,
    About Face Theatre
    ,
    2018
  • Reading
    ,
    University of Iowa New Play Festival
    ,
    2017
  • Workshop
    ,
    Sewanee Writers Conference
    ,
    2017

Awards

Semi-Finalist
,
Bay Area Playwrights Festival
,
Playwrights Foundation
,
2018
Semi-Finalist
,
New Play Development Conference
,
Playpenn
,
2018