About

Dear Eliza is a brutal and exposing analysis of a friendship under the strain of mental ill health and the fear of being a burden. Raw and cynical, yet rich with playful allegories, this short one-person play is very much about confronting unexpressed emotions within relationships, and saying out loud what you’d rather keep inside your head.

Originally written, performed, and produced by Barbara Diesel, Dear Eliza premiered at The Greater Manchester Fringe Festival in 2023, where it was shortlisted for the Best Newcomer award. After a period of development, the team grew with the addition of director Helen Parry. It toured in February 2024, with rave approval from both reviewers and audiences alike.

Barbara describes her creation of the play as multi-faceted, stating: I wanted to take autonomy over my career as a creative and the stories that I tell. I wanted to create something, despite the limitations of an early career artist, that still utilised conflict but wouldn’t have the audience feeling like they’d watched it 20 times before. Then, on a deeper level, I wanted to have my say. I wanted to exert my frustration at the way that arts and media depict mental illnesses: delicately, over-sanitised, fitting into neat boxes, or wildly inaccurate and villainous. This play is my homage to the reality of living with a mental health condition. It’s a deep dive into the 'grey area'.

Trigger warnings include mentions of self-harming behaviour and suicide. Features strong language. Recommended 16+.

The Creative Team

Barbara Diesel - Actor and Writer

Barbara Diesel is an early-career creative based in Manchester. She has studied with The National Youth Theatre, LAMDA and The Actor’s Training Company, and has worked professionally as an actor on various projects, most recently including her role as Eurydice in Illuminating Orpheus by Lights on Theatre, a shadow-puppetry and operatic fusion. Dear Eliza is the first play that she has written.

Barbara is currently self-represented. Her Spotlight is: https://app.spotlight.com/6290-0168-5997

Helen Parry - Director

Helen is an established theatre director and acting tutor, with a strong body of work behind her. Recent successes include The Day the World Came to Huddersfield by Stephen Hornby (winner of Best Drama and the QueerLit award for Best LGBTQ+ production) and On Me by Caroline Lamb (winner of the Off West End Award) in the Greater Manchester Fringe of 2022. Her production of Sacrament by Martin Thomasson was also nominated in the GMFF of 2023.

Daniel Archer - Assistant Producer

Behind the Scenes

Shay Rowan - Photographer

Shay is a Manchester based photographer, with a particular interest in photographing theatre and gigs.

Instagram: Shayster57

Facebook: Shay Rowan.

#shayrowanphotography

Dylan Best - Videographer

Matt Diesel - Website

With Special Thanks

Our February 2024 tour was made possible thanks to the significant support of the following people:

Daniel Archer, Claire Cole, Alex Diesel, Jenny Diesel, Stuart Diesel & Jessica Kaur

We would also like to extend our gratitude and thanks to:

Sarah Ampil, Freya Hargrave, Aidan McCusker, Spark Sanders-Robinson, Joe Clegg

Martha at the Royal Exchange Theatre, Rob at The Local Answer, Lesley at the Palace & Opera House Theatres, Neil & Simon at The Blackfriar pub