Wet Behind The Ears (Stage Performance)

Wet Behind The Ears is a tragicomic coming of age story…with chlorine. Gillie, a young woman, struggling to adapt to major changes happening in her life, and her relationship with her estranged mother, recounts the story of her fascination with water from a young age.  

The action kicks out from bath time splashing competitions, to early free-swimming experiences, to starting to take swimming seriously, through lessons and life lived in a lane where all she had to do was “follow the black line at the bottom of the pool”.  

The telling of her story takes the audience through hot summers and cold early mornings, first loves, and the struggle to fit into a world she increasingly feels less a part of. Building to achievements and competing to swim for her country, the bittersweet story also belly flops all the way into disillusionment and a need to accept her individuality and agency.  

Ultimately, Gillie is faced with an uneasy predicament where she has to choose to walk her own path – bravely into an uncertain future.  

Created and performed by Nicole Butow 

Facilitated and directed by Rob Murray