Glitter Box: Same Shit Different Show

GLITTER BOX (Musical Dramedy)
By Jennifer Le Roux

NOTE: Standard "ACT" structure not followed or used, neurodiverse to the core.

A single woman with ADHD, gets fired from her job in corporate London and discovers it's the same shit different show in the glitter of Brighton, where glitter-covered distractions come to life through her neurodiverse perspective and wild imagination.

Why I give a shit about GLITTER BOX

Ever heard the expression “a shit rolled in glitter”? Well, I’ve said it a lot.

To describe “dream jobs” at creative agencies that had the boastful veneer of wonder but the innards of a female praying mantis that devoured me whole. To describe the open-minded people I met in the quirky town of Brighton, that turned out to be total dicks. And finally, to describe coworking spaces for FREElancers that box, label and pack members into permanent desks and lock them into contracts... welcome to the gig economy.

Modern coworking is the same shit different show

At least corporate London in the 90s was outwardly shit... It looked like shit and it smelt like shit. In Brighton, London by the sea, the glitter is laid on thick. And, just like that moment you unwittingly drive past a farm and get a blast of Eau de Cow Pat, when the glitter breaks-away the stench is even stronger - because you weren’t expecting it.

At least, this was the narrative that helped me cope with all the shit, until…

I was diagnosed with ADHD in my late 30s. I know what you’re thinking, there’s a lot of shit speak going on up in here, but sometimes shit happens, and when I got my diagnosis - shit got real.

So, while there is a prevalence of dickheads showboating as saviours in the workplace with overzealous happiness policies that garner a “best employer of the year” award... there was also me. I was the common denominator in each repeated “you’re fired”, “get back in your box”, “why would you say that in a meeting?” scenario that played out. Turns out my neurodivergent brain was a ticking time-bomb amidst an already confusing playground of invisible office politics. The lines so blurred between actual shit and my shit, I was bumping into walls like a wayward lemming wondering why everyone else was doing better.

GLITTER BOX is inspired by my story and created primarily to entertain and delight but, given my experience, I hope it raises awareness of the nuances of adult ADHD in women. And, as her seemingly perfect friends and colleagues unravel, I hope GLITTER BOX highlights the shitty undercurrent of the modern workplace, and raises awareness of the ubiquity of an undiagnosed workforce.

Step inside the mind of our protagonist, ROBIN

Robin has my pre-diagnosis ADHD behaviours, but she isn’t me. Robin is unique and beautifully flawed with conflicting inner voices and a warped view of the world around her. Outwardly, she masks her behaviour, but the viewers witness Robin’s perspective through her voice over and glitter fantasies or dark fantasies. Mysterious glitter storms and original and wildly inappropriate music, or haunting scenarios imagined when Robin feels trapped.

Is ADHD in adult women even a thing?

There are a rising number of adult women being diagnosed with ADHD. Like me, they’ve masked their condition for years and struggled in every area of their life. Undiagnosed, it often leads to weight gain, addiction to smoking or drugs, sexual promiscuity, failed careers and social rejection. It presents very differently in women, and is wildly misunderstood. I am in several groups with thousands of women diagnosed late in life. Read more here.

Looks like, sounds like, smells like

Comparative to TV shows Crazy Ex Girlfriend, The Bold Type and The Mindy Project and described as a modern coworking Ally McBeal for marketing.

WTF is GLITTER BOX about though?

It’s a neurodiverse story of self-love for Robin, but also the seemingly perfect people around her going through their own struggles. There’s friendship, love, and unexpected magic in between the drama. It has everything a fan of a romcom craves without missing the guts of the story; a woman who feels like an outsider in a conformed world, that’s actually broken. A woman who discovers she has ADHD and finds her place in the world without the mask.

Tone, genre and style

If you’re looking for intelligent wit and subtle irony, you won’t find it in Glitter Box. Much like my worrying overuse of shit puns in this treatment, there are some perceived faux pas clichés in this spec script, which is part of its beauty. It’s silly, playful and dramatic with profound messages interwoven and revealed as the episode and series develop. Any puns, accidental rhymes or innuendos and characters with the random compulsion to shout “penis” are not unrealistic, this is how I am - authentically. I have no idea if this is because of the ADHD, but there it is. If it seems a bit strange or a bit “cliché” in places, it is, but so am I.

Who’s gonna watch this shit?

Women in their 20s and 30s who love romcoms and musicals with a strong female lead. Not to mention the thousands of women diagnosed with ADHD late in life and thousands more still unaware they have it. But, Glitter Box has an irresistible sparkle, mainstream appeal and just enough “screw you modern workplace” undertones that will resonate with a diverse and multi-generational audience.

Glitter Box has the potential to cheer everyone the fuck up! Everything’s been so damn serious and, as Ally McBeal herself once said:

“This is gonna be good, why else would I be crying?”