LIMERICK writer and actor Isolde Fenton returns to her hometown this Saturday October 18, with her critically acclaimed one-woman show In a Bad Way at Belltable, following a triumphant run at Dublin Fringe.
The darkly comedic production, part of the Lasta Young Curatorโs Programme, follows Grรก, a young woman spiralling in her GPโs office as she convinces herself sheโs suffering from every ailment imaginableโfrom blood clots to Foreign Accent Syndrome to โBum Cancerโ like โThe Ginger One from Desperate Housewivesโ.
Through Grรกโs frantic recounting of symptoms during her fifth visit to the doctor this month, the fast-paced show explores health anxiety, loneliness, and the bodyโs relentless keeping of score with both humour and tenderness.
For Fenton, the Belltable homecoming is particularly poignant. The Adare-raised artist first performed at the venue aged just 15. Now, as the theatreโs artist in residence, she returns with her own work. โTo be creating and presenting something in my hometown, in a venue that shaped my earliest experiences of theatre, is both humbling and exhilarating,โ she says.
The 2024 PJ OโConnor Radio Play Award winnerโincluded in the Irish Examinerโs Ones to Watch list for 2025โtrained at the Gaiety School of Acting and has performed at Londonโs West End. Her debut script, Chalk & Cheese, will premiere on RTร Drama On One this autumn.
In a Bad Way premiered at Corkโs Everyman Theatre in May before its Dublin Fringe run in September.
Limerick, Fenton notes, is vital to the story itself, with references to the city woven throughout the production. โThe references to the city, the streets, the atmosphereโeverything feels deeply personal,โ Fenton explains.