2nd
Least favourite son. Back-up best man. Not quite ‘the one’.
Rhys Williamson is the best at being in second place.
2nd is a funny, physical storytelling show about a son who spends his life trying to prove he's good enough for his mum.
It takes place over the twelve hours of an ultra triathlon Rhys entered to impress her. As he swims, cycles and runs towards the finish line, he unpicks the stories that taught him to measure his worth against everyone around him: his brother, his friends, his dad and, most of all, his mum.
At its heart is a simple question:
What happens when you stop trying to be someone's number one?
The show explores comparison, masculinity, body image, friendship, family and the choice not to become a parent. It asks whether winning can ever be enough, when there will always be someone faster, thinner, more successful, more loved or more wanted.
And whether coming second might actually be OK.
Development
2nd is currently in development, with work-in-progress performances planned in 2027 and a planned Edinburgh Festival Fringe run in 2028.
The development will explore how to turn an ultra triathlon into theatre. Storytelling, physical performance, projection, objects and theatrical transformation will create the sensation of swimming, cycling and running without simply recreating the race.
The ambition is to make the audience feel the effort of the twelve-hour journey while discovering the much bigger race Rhys has been running all his life.
Credits
Written and performed by Rhys Williamson
Developed and produced by Wicked Pig Productions