Mattress, a New Play by Jacksyn Ivy Jayne
Till Death Do Us Apart…
Premiering at the Studio/Stage Theater in Los Angeles April 21-23rd with an Original Cast Directed by Jacksyn Ivy Jayne. (Poster art by @e.l.a.art)
“Here’s to family! Something that always dies but never leaves…”
Terror, betrayal, romance, mystery, pain, death and love lie within the walls of the Galborn family household.
“Mattress” is a full length, original play taking audiences through the subconscious mind of a young woman living through a tumultuous relationship, a disorienting household and a race to uncover the truth of her boyfriend’s bloody history. Throughout this journey, the young woman; Iris Mallory, must fight against her own corroding reality, inner children, the apparitions in the home and more creatures bending the line between imaginary and disgustingly real. As Iris’ mental state declines her world becomes harder to decipher and the audience must discover for themselves what is real and what is not. A commentary on psychological abuse, familial trauma, innocence, mental illness and the other side, Iris and her boyfriend; Elliot’s tango of power and chaos is inspired by real stories from women globally. Written with heavy inspiration drawn from absurdism as well as writers like Mary Shelley and Samuel Beckett, “Mattress” is an interactive, horrific and and all around female-centric piece where the beings in the show reach out to audience members and ask for their help in stitching this relationship back together by the seams.
Written, workshopped and completely constructed over the course of 2 years by Jacksyn Ivy Jayne starting when she was 16, the show majorly inspired by a series of interviews with women from all over the world on their stories with mental health and abuse. Mattress is still being revised and workshopped, yet at its core, it is a deep passion project with the intention of reframing the narratives of abuse, representing complex female characters and pushing the boundaries of what theater is capable of.
The first production of Mattress was an independent student production at the Studio/Stage Theater taking place April 21-23rd 2023 with a complete original cast all 18 and younger and all students at the Los Angeles County High School for The Arts. Completely produced, directed and designed by Jacksyn Ivy Jayne with both theater and dance students in the cast. The original run was Sold Out for every showing and offered streaming tickets.
Ivy-Jayne intends to keep pursuing the project moving forward and work on new ways of producing it. Mattress is truly a collaborative piece and this is just the beginning of the story.
“A powerful, raw story that challenges your own views of the effects of trauma. Truly innovative storytelling”
Photos by Kassi King
More photos/footage from the original production on @mattresstheplay on instagram & tik tok