Sisters Billie, Ava, and Scarlet start a new tradition of family dinners every second Sunday, rain or shine. But when Billie doesn't show up one night, her sisters have every reason to worry. With a history of self-harm and regularly being on and off her medication, they've become all too familiar with Billie's unpredictable behaviour. Now that Billie has disappeared-leaving behind her disastrous apartment, her phone, and a mysterious message-a frantic chase ensues, pushing their unshakable bond to its limits.From the celebrated author of The Gravitational Pull of Bernice Trimble and co-author of The Drowning Girls, Beth Graham's Mermaid Legs tells the story of a precarious life fluctuating between calm and chaos, and those on the sidelines desperately trying to catch up. A deep dive into the stigmas, challenges, and mysteries of mental illness, this compassionate family saga illuminates the beauty of neurodiversity and the unyielding strength of sisterhood.
• To write this play, Beth started interviewing people who lived with bipolar disorder and those close to them to understand it better and how it can affect a family.
• First produced as part of the Skirtsafire Festival at the Gateway Theatre in Edmonton from February 29 to March 10, 2024. Sisters Billie, Ava, and Scarlet regularly see each other during family dinners, but when Billie vanishes-leaving behind a mysterious message in her apartment-their unshakable bond is tested like never before. With a history of self-harm, Billie's struggles pull her sisters into a frantic search, revealing the complexities of care, mental illness, and sisterhood. From Beth Graham, celebrated co-author of The Drowning Girls, Mermaid Legs is a heartwarming exploration of neurodiversity and the unwavering commitments to understand and support our loved ones. "Graham, a witty and clever writer with a sharp ear for minute adjustments in family chemistry, gives us verbal exchanges along fracture lines that widen dangerously, like cracks in the ice you aren't sure are weight-bearing, over a bottomless lake."
