IT’S A MOTHERF**KING PLEASURE

Program Book

APR 02—13, 2025

Jackie Liebergott Black Box Theatre, Emerson Paramount Center
559 Washington St., Boston, MA 02111

In an effort to reduce paper waste, we have stopped printing full show programs. Instead, we’ve created a small printed piece with the essentials that all audiences receive which then links to a complete digital program.


Dearest ArtsEmerson friends,

All the way from the UK, ArtsEmerson is thrilled to welcome the award-winning, disability-led theatre company FlawBored for It’s A Motherf**king Pleasure. Created by and starring Samuel Brewer, Aarian Mehrabani, and Chloe Palmer – It’s A Motherf**king Pleasure presents a hilarious and scathing satire on the monetization of identity politics and dares us all to reevaluate how we view and show up for one another–regardless of ability.

Something truly spectacular about this piece is FlawBored’s ability to make audiences confront truths about ourselves and the world around us through humor and raw honesty. What does it mean to be an activist? What does it mean to create a truly equal and accessible world? This piece argues that we can only build the future we want to see if we are able to genuinely reflect on and laugh at ourselves–and I hope you all take this invitation to laugh.

As always, I am incredibly grateful to this community who time and time again has supported artists and stories from all around the globe that reflect the rich diversity of our community, near and far. None of this would be possible without you, and it is a pleasure to be able to laugh with you!

Sincerely,

Ronee Penoi Signature
Ronee Penoi
Interim Executive Director of the Office of the Arts and ArtsEmerson
Director of Artistic Programming

Show Credits

in association with Wooly Mammoth presents

IT’S A MOTHERF**KING PLEASURE

Written & Performed by Flawbored

 

Chloe Palmer  Writer & Performer
Aarian Mehrabani
Writer & Performer
Sam Brewer
 Writer & Performer
Josh Roche Director and Dramaturg
Dan Light Video Designer
Cara Evans Designer
Alex Musgrave Lighting Designer
Calum Perrin Sound Designer
Beatrice Galloway Stage Manager
Hannah Smith Producer


This project is supported in part by the Massachusetts Cultural Council,
a state agency.

Artist Bios

Chloe Palmer
Chloe is an award-winning, Kent born writer-performer. She graduated from BA Acting Collaborative and Devised Theatre at the Royal Central School of Speech and Drama in 2020. She is currently in development for a new comedy thriller with The Story Collective and her debut feature “GUTS” is in development Never Odd or Even productions.

Chloe is represented by Luke Speed at Speed Literary and Talent Management. Credits as an actor include: We Need to Talk About Grief: R&D – Sean Linnen and Sonia Jalaly (Donmar Warehouse) CONTAINS ADULT THEMES AND VIOLENCE: Martha Watson-Allpress (Upstairs at the Gatehouse), White Girl Gang: Rianna Simons dir. Babirye Bukilwa (New Diorama Broadgate)

Twitter: @clopalmer
Instagram: @clopalmer

Aarian Mehrabani
Aarian graduated from BA Acting Collaborative and Devised Theatre at the Royal Central School of Speech and Drama in 2020. Before moving to London in 2017 he worked closely with The Royal Exchange Theatre in Manchester, appearing in shows such as Nothing (2016/2017), directed by Bryony Shanahan and BRINK, directed by Matthew Xia.

He has also worked in musical theatre with Leo&Hyde playing Aziz in their UK tour of ‘GUY: A new musical’ and 2021 R&D, alongside working with them to integrate music tech and live looping into their new musical “Galileo”.

He also writes and performs music under the name “Aarian” and his debut single “Five Yard line” was released on all streaming services in May 2022.

He is currently in development for a new comedy thriller with The Story Collective.

Twitter: @AarianMehrabani
Instagram: @aarian.m

Sam Brewer
Sam is an access consultant, facilitator, actor & theatre maker who graduated from BA Acting Collaborative and Devised Theatre at the Royal Central School of Speech and Drama in 2020. Since graduating he has heavily involved himself in disability related activism and was the director of The Diversity School Initiative. He is also an ambassador for the Disability Artist Network Collective. Theatre includes: Oedipus (West End), It’s a Motherf**king Pleasure (UK & US tour); Frankenstein (Parkwood Theatre); CRIPtic Pit Party (Barbican Theatre); Farenheit 451 (Complicité). Other work includes Odd & The Frost Giants (Unicorn Theatre); Otto Weidt’s Brush and Broom (Leeds Playhouse); The Sleeping Sword (Watermill Theatre); Marvel Move (Voice over), War Thunder (Voice Over) & ARCADE(voice over).

He is currently in development for a new comedy thriller with The Story Collective.

Twitter: @sambrewer133
Instagram:@instaa_hammed

Josh Roche
Josh Roche is a multi-award winning theatre director, living and working primarily in the UK. He is the co-founder of OpenHire campaign for fair hiring, and winner of the JMK award 2017. He was hired out of University to be the Literary Associate at Soho Theatre, where he was part of the Artistic Team that produced Fleabag by Phoebe Waller-Bridge. Selected theatre credits include The Forsyte Saga, Parts 1 & 2 by Lin Coghlan and Shaun McKenna (Park Theatre), The Importance of Being Earnest by Oscar Wilde (The Royal Exchange Manchester), Winky by George Saunders (Soho Theatre, London), Home by David Storey (Chichester Festival Theatre), Pressure by David Haig (Co-Director, Royal Alexandra, Toronto), My Name is Rachel Corrie (JMK Award Winner, Young Vic), Orlando by Lucy Roslyn (59E59 New York, Vaults Festival), Radio by Al Smith (Audible UK @ Arcola), World Shakespeare Congress, The Prince Charles Hamlet Sketch (Both for the RSC). In addition he has directed and taught at most of the UK’s top drama schools including RADA, The Royal Welsh College and the Royal Academy of Music. Upcoming work includes a major transfer of The Forsyte Saga, a second show with Flawbored, and development of a new adaptation with Sonia Friedman Productions.

Twitter: @JoshRoche1
Instagram: @joshroche29

Dan Light
Dan Light is a video designer based in London, working in the UK and internationally. He graduated from The Guildhall School of Music and Drama in 2022, receiving The Lord Mayor’s Prize.

In addition to working on national tours, new musicals, and large-scale events, Dan has an established presence in the west end, with productions including Instructions For a Teenage Armageddon (Garrick Theatre), Concert performances of For Tonight (Adelphi Theatre) and Bat Boy: The Musical (London Palladium), and the English-Language premiere of Your Lie In April (Harold Pinter Theatre).

Dan regularly collaborates with FRAY Studios as an Associate Video Designer to Finn Ross on their portfolio of productions and events, notably Vogue World London, a theatre-inspired fashion show broadcasted from Theatre Royal Drury Lane. As Associate Video Designer to David Bergman, Dan worked on the West End transfer of Sydney Theatre Company’s award-winning production of The Picture of Dorian Gray starring Sarah Snook, which was praised for its innovative use of Video Design.

Twitter: @FlawBored
Instagram: @flawbored

Cara Evans
Cara Evans is a London based performance designer with particular interests in devised and text-based performance. They graduated in Design for Stage from the Royal Central School of Speech and Drama and in Fine Art from the University for the Creative Arts Farnham.

They are also an associate artist at OPIA Collective and worked as a reader for the Royal Court. Previous work includes: Ugly Sisters (Edinburgh Fringe/New Diorama Theatre) Feral Monster (National Theatre Wales), Sleepova (Bush Theatre), Body Show (Soho Theatre).

Twitter: @FlawBored
Instagram: @flawbored

Alex Musgrave
Theatre includes The Forsyte Sage: Parts 1 & 2 (Park Theatre), Home (Chichester Festival Theatre), Sherlock Holmes and the Whitechapel Fiend, Treasure Island and Private Lives (Barn Theatre, Cirencester), Kin – The Musical (Theatro Technis), The White Factory for which he was nominated for an Off West End Award for Best Lighting Design (Marylebone Theatre), Dance Nation, Serious Money and The Grain Store (Mountview Academy of Theatre Arts), King Charles III and Let the Right One In (ArtsEd), The Clockmaker’s Daughter and Urinetown (New Theatre Royal Portsmouth), Chitty Chitty Bang Bang and Cinderella (Kings Theatre, Portsmouth), The Cunning Little Vixen (Royal Birmingham Conservatoire), Rapunzel and The Sleeping Sword (Watermill Theatre, Newbury), Tales from Acorn Wood and The Chronicles of Atom and Luna (National Tour) and Anyone Can Whistle, You Are Here for which he was nominated for an Off West End Award for Best Lighting Design and Romeo and Juliet (Southwark Playhouse).

Alex was the 2019 recipient of the Association for Lighting Production and Design Lumière Scheme.

Twitter: @FlawBored
Instagram: @flawbored

Calum Perrin
Calum Perrin works across visual art, theatre, music and radio. They explore themes of disability, sensory experience and domesticity, as well as the relationship between documented processes and artistic practice. Calum has worked with organisations including BBC Radio 3 and 4, BBC Sounds, Audible, Paraorchestra, VICE, Donmar Warehouse, The Yard, Bodleian Libraries, the Prague Quadrennial and HearSay. They were the artist in residence at the Museum of the Home in 2021. 

Twitter: @FlawBored
Instagram: @flawbored

Beatrice Galloway
Beatrice Galloway is a freelance Belgo-British Production Stage Manager who trained at the Edinburgh School of Lighting, Sound and Stage Management.

Recent theatre shows include: Public (Ockham’s Razor), Famous Puppet Death Scenes (The Old Trout Workshop), On The Beach (Spare Tyre),The Cart (Oily Cart), In the Weeds (Mull Theatre), Tank & Me (Collectif and Then…), Space to Be (Oily Cart), Unreal City (Dream Think Speak & Access All Areas), All Wrapped Up (Oily Cart), Belly of the Whale (Ockham’s Razor), Flight Paths (Extant). 

She has also worked on exhibitions (Beasts of London – Museum of London), events (Glasgow Commonwealth Games 2014) and film (The Lady in the Van). 

Twitter: @FlawBored
Instagram: @flawbored

Hannah Smith
Hannah is an independent producer, currently working with The Wardrobe Ensemble & Flawbored, and as the International Producer for Farnham Maltings. She is Executive Producer for The Wardrobe Ensemble and has worked with them for 12 years, producing shows including Education, Education, Education, The Last of the Pelican Daughters and Mog the Forgetful Cat, as well as pop-up theatre festival Theatre on the Downs in summer 2021. She has also worked with Impermanence, Cardboard Citizens, Fifth Word, Wayward Productions and curious directive.

Twitter: @spincesmith
Instagram: @spincesmith

ArtsEmerson Donors

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Majestic Society ($10,000-$24,999)
Anonymous
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Daryl and Joseph Boren
Boston Arts Summer Institute, Inc.
The Charlotte Foundation
Fellowes Athenaeum Trust Fund
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Lars Charitable Fund
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Paramount Society ($5,000-$9,999)
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Our deepest thanks to all who have generously contributed gifts in support of ArtsEmerson. Every gift matters!

For corrections to your listing, contact Patricia Chiang at patricia_chiang@emerson.edu.

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Accessibility

All Performances have integrated audio description.

All Performances Feature open captioning.