In a comedic, heartfelt look at the pain of extreme shyness, Isabel Renner’s one-woman show celebrates the awkward, the quirky, and those who second-guess themselves into silence. Shy Girl glides between ten vivid characters as she prepares for her NYC birthday party and anxiously rehearses conversations to avoid screwing up in front of the “legends” she’s invited. Intent on proving her coolness and escaping her isolation, she clutches her index cards for guidance—but as her social anxiety escalates, things begin to unravel. From conversations with her therapist (a six-year-old she babysits), her German gynaecologist, her cluelessly sexy roommate Memphis, and sex guru Twilight, the Vagina Goddess, Shy Girl pushes herself to connect—emotionally, physically, and sexually. Casting the audience as friends both real and imaginary, Wyld Woman: The Legend of Shy Girl is a raw, humorous, and empowering tribute to anyone who’s ever wished life came with a manual—and ultimately discovers the legend within themselves.
Wyld Woman: The Legend of Shy Girl comes to Southwark Playhouse following a hit run at Edinburgh Festival Fringe 2024.
We sat down with writer and performer Isabel Renner to learn more.
What can you tell me about Wyld Woman: The Legend of Shy Girl?
Wyld Woman tells the story of Shy Girl, profoundly timid but desperate to be cool, as she attempts to open up enough to make actual friends and find an actual boyfriend and lose her actual virginity. Most of her life until now has been limited to the imaginary realm. She wants more than anything to become a “legend” (AKA a very cool person), but her lack of social skills and excess of sexual ineptitude prove to be quite pronounced obstacles.
What inspired this piece?
The piece is inspired by my struggle with social anxiety - a struggle I’ve known quite intimately for just about always.
How does your own lived experience shape the show?
The show is mischievous and irreverent in spirit, but it is rooted in quite vulnerable and true aspects of my own life. Namely, the shame of feeling like the shyest girl in the entire world and all of the things that come along with that: late bloomerhood, unrealistic romantic inclinations, the inability to have a normal conversation with another person my age.
How have those experiences shaped the person you are today?
Those experiences have both brought me a great deal of embarrassment and shaped my sense of humor. I love nothing more than to make fun of myself. It’s armor but it’s also how I reveal who I really am and what I really feel. I think this show is the purest and most distilled expression of that propensity to poke fun.
You now bring the show to London, how excited are you to experience the city and for British audiences to see the show?
On an excitement scale of 1-10, I’d say maybe one million? I’m from New York, but I studied in London for a year when I was in university. It was the most wonderful year of my entire life. London set my shy heart free.
And alas, no one loves the English like Shy Girl. Her most romantic memory, after all, is literally just a scene from My Fair Lady. London is her dream home, and it is an honor to accompany her there.
What was the first piece of theatre you remember having a big impact on you?
I wish I had a fancier answer, but I’m told that honesty is the foundation of true love so I might as well practice keeping it real. When I was six years old, my dad took me to see Mamma Mia on Broadway. It was a night of rapturous joy, bright colors, and my beloved father dancing in the aisle.
What keeps you inspired?
My epic friends keep me inspired. My two roommates make me laugh every single day, my oldest childhood friend Aggie Miller is also my very favorite musical artist, and my little brother and sister melt my heart daily with their preciousness.
What does theatre mean to you?
Forgive my repetitiveness, but probably joy and color and dads dancing in aisles.
What would you hope someone takes away from seeing the show?
I hope someone sees the show and leaves with the unwavering conviction that they are a legend, just as they are.
Where can audiences see the show?
We’ll be at the Southwark Playhouse Borough from 23 October - 15 November. I can’t wait to meet you and perhaps become lifelong friends.
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