Melanie Jordan and Caitlin Skinner make joyful theatre about the things that anger them. Prioritising the perspectives of women and non-binary people, their first production Sanitise won a Scotsman Fringe First in 2014. During the wake of Donald Trump’s election and the EU referendum, they turned to HG Wells’ 1895 sci-fi classic The Time Machine. Swinging between feelings of ‘hope and doom’, the feminist duo took to adapting the speculative story for theatre, using it to navigate their emotional pendulum as well as their own entrenched cynicism.

Cynicism wasn’t always the order of the day for Jordan & Skinner. They both grew up in the 90s ‘when the future felt quite bright’, reflects Jordan. As they reached adulthood, this brightness dimmed. With the rise of populism, the climate emergency and growing class divisions, they came to the realisation that human progress doesn’t always equate to moving forward in a positive way. For this reason, the plot of Wells’ The Time Machine struck a chord. Set in the Victorian era against a booming industrial revolution, Wells’ protagonist is confronted with a strange future, one that no one could have anticipated. 

In Jordan & Skinner’s adaptation of this groundbreaking text, a group of four feminists prepare a bunker for the end of the world. The cause of their imminent deaths is unknown, though the writers indicate it could be due to environmental breakdown, fascism or nuclear war. In their bunker, a space that symbolises the rejection of capitalism and current structures, the characters imagine what a feminist utopia might look like.

Skinner observes that their characterisation draws upon the pressure that Gen Z experiences to minimise the damage caused by older generations: ‘they feel the burden of being the hope and the nurture which will bring about a better world’. Although united over the common cause of combating the patriarchy, there is disparity between the characters’ visions for the future which leads to interpersonal conflict To counterbalance such devastating themes, Jordan & Skinner employ comedic relief through the means of passive aggression; they agree that negotiating communal living is universally funny. Jordan confirms that even when faced with Armageddon, people can still be divided into two camps: those who leave Post-it notes about the washing up, and those who ignore the Post-it notes along with the washing up. She laughs, disclosing that her character is firmly in the former category.

Jordan believes theatre offers a unique opportunity to collaborate with a room full of artists. Much like the characters in their play, the cast would generously challenge any perceived notions of what a feminist future could or should be. Skinner reflects that all of the work they do ‘comes from a genuine question about the state of the world . . . it’s a process of going through the cynicism and the frustration and turning it into a joyful performance.’

Jordan & Skinner: The Time Machine, Platform, Glasgow, Friday 7 & Saturday 8 October; Tron Theatre, Glasgow, Wednesday 26–Friday 28 October; Traverse Theatre, Edinburgh, Thursday 3–Saturday 5 November.