Tiny Thin Woman Inside by Courtney 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

  • 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. ”
  • Kaytlin McIntyre:
    3 Oct. 2019
    “ Who knew a take-down of diet culture could be so funny and sexy and surreal? (Courtney knew, I guess). And while she reveals the role a dysfunctional culture plays in body-shame, the story is ultimately about our inner demons becoming external and how we self sabotage despite our better judgement. It's a bitter pill to swallow, but Courtney explores our collective trauma through absurdist delight and an honesty that's hard to deny. Highly recommend! ”
  • Molly Winstead:
    16 Sep. 2019
    “ Courtney Meaker's "Tiny Thin Woman Inside" blends a biting dark humor and touching human connection in this increasingly surreal (yet horrifyingly truthful) descent into a culture relentlessly obsessed with selling women a thinner, lesser version of themselves. The play explores bodies, queerness, and our (quite literal) battles with our inner demons. I've never read a play before that so honestly and brutally articulated what it means to be fat in a world that constantly demands that we be less - that we either be another version of ourselves, or not ourselves at all. ”
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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