Love Bites

Cupid is having a terrible day.

Midsummer night in Edinburgh, and the God of Love is drunk, crying on a park bench, and beginning to suspect that humans have made love far more complicated than it needs to be.

Across one chaotic day, Love Bites follows a series of funny, awkward and unexpectedly tender encounters: playground crushes, disastrous attempts at asking someone out, intense friendships, break-ups, jealousy, grief, secret longing and the strange courage it takes to say how you really feel.

Originally commissioned by Strange Town for its youth theatre, and developed from workshops with young performers, Sam Siggs’ play captures love from a teenage perspective: messy, embarrassing, hopeful, confusing and sometimes painfully funny.

With a flexible ensemble cast, short connected scenes and adaptable characters, Love Bites is an ideal choice for schools, youth theatres and drama groups looking for a contemporary play with strong roles for young actors.

Perfect for:

• Youth theatre productions
• School drama departments
• Ensemble performance
• Teenage actors
• Short scene work and class study
• Flexible casting and mixed-ability groups

Funny, fast-moving and full of heart, Love Bites is a play about love in all its strange, chaotic forms — because growing up is awkward, and love is rarely simple.

Cast Size: Mixed cast of 18: 7 female, 11 male (flexible)

Recommended for performers aged 14-16

Running Time 60 minutes