one4review | On 02, Aug 2025

In the compact, but atmospheric Bunker 3, the small but appreciative audience were treated to an accomplished fringe debut by Verity Mullan who wrote and performed this new play.

Single Use tells the story of Ella, a delightfully scatty woman in her late 20s, who wanders through life haphazardly. Her enjoyable but dead-end bar job is on a knife edge; she is behind with her rent, she barely contacts her sick mother, her garden plot is covered with weeds, but she still manages to travel through life in an Uber and enjoy her Chinese carryout meals. One day she receives an anonymous message from Malaysia with a picture of her discarded school water bottle. Eventually, the environmental impact message hits home and sends Ella into a tailspin of climate catastrophising. Is there a solution though? Can one person’s actions save the world?

Verity Mullan’s engaging and accomplished performance makes this a very enjoyable and thought-provoking hour. She uses the confined space expertly to illustrate Ella’s chaotic personal life as well as the environmental Armageddon caused by plastic usage. The script effectively balances humour and insight, as Ella’s character develops from scatty self-centredness to a, hopefully, more meaningful and thoughtful life. Verity Mullan is definitely a star in the making.

Reviewed by Rona
Pleasance Courtyard – Bunker 3
12.50 (1hr)
Until 25th August (not 11th)