Digging Deep

Mossy is done with life. He’s from the shit end of nowhere, with a shit job, and a shit life. He’s tried to make it work, but it’s time for him to leave. Goodnight Vienna. But the thought of leaving his Mum with a five grand bill is hard… so he comes up with the ingenious plan to ‘Fundraise his own Funeral’. His three best mates; Kane, Jack and Matt are horrified but reluctantly rise to the challenge – hoping that the experience might just make Mossy change his mind. But as the campaign goes viral, the world’s press descends, and the boys start choosing coffins, Mossy begins to feel the pressure… Digging Deep examines the rise of suicide in young men – and in particular, in young men from working class backgrounds. The play looks to explore the tight camaraderie within these communities, lack of opportunity, and feelings of frustration from young people becoming financial burdens on their parents. The play also touches on the concept of euthanasia (ie, whether we should be able to make our own choice on when and how we’d like to die) and ties into the recent ‘Cost of Dying’ debate – in which bodies are being kept in morgues/funeral homes for up to a year to enable families to raise money for a funeral. Most prominently, this play explores how so few young men feel that they can ask for help… even from those closest to them.

Part of the Vaults Festival