H to He (I'm Turning Into a Man) and See Primark and Die (Buy Little Buy Less Buy Nothing at All) - Paperback

by Claire Dowie (Author)

In June 2025 Claire Dowie returned to the Finborough Theatre where she started her career as a stand-up comedian, playwright and performer more than forty years ago. Her Swansong featured four plays from four decades.

This dual-edition was published to coincide with her 2025 return to the Finborough Theatre, and contains two of the four plays. The other two are also published by Methuen Drama in Why Is John Lennon Wearing a Skirt?: and Other Stand-up Theatre Plays.

H to He (I'm turning into a man) is inspired by Kafka's Metamorphosis and tells the story of a woman discovering she's turning into a man. Claire Dowie offers a shocking exploration of gender, sexuality and ageing.

See Primark and Die concerns a sudden inability to shop. Is this a reaction to capitalism or a desire to live like Aunt Alice digging for victory with her companion Elizabeth?

Claire Dowie has won numerous awards for her writing and performances including a 1988 Time Out Theatre Award, a 1991 London Fringe Award and awards for H to He (I'm turning into a man) from Thespis in Germany and MonoAKT in Kosovo.

Author Biography

Claire Dowie is a writer, performer, poet, comedian and pioneer of Stand-Up Theatre, often associated with the In-Yer-Face approach to theatre-making. After starting out on the alternative comedy circuit, she switched to stand-up comedy and writing plays. Her first major work, Adult Child/Dead Child, won a Time Out Award in 1988. Other works include Why is John Lennon Wearing a Skirt?, Easy Access (For the Boys), All Over Lovely, Cat and Mouse, Death and Dancing and The Year of the Monkey.