Slinky

Slinky explores the invisible struggle of male eating disorder recovery through an intimate domestic lens. Elias has gained five pounds toward his goal weight of 140, but his controlling mother sees only the twenty pounds he still needs to gain. When he begins dating Lara, he keeps his hospitalization secret, hoping to construct a "normal" life before the truth emerges. As the relationship deepens and his mother's interference escalates, Elias must choose between the comfort of being monitored and the terrifying freedom of saving himself. The play examines how eating disorders remain hidden in plain sight, particularly in men, and asks difficult questions about recovery, autonomy, and the limits of love when mental illness is involved.