New Waterford production company takes on dating, politics and 'a big touch of feminism'

Waterford has a new theatre company, and their show in development, the Machiavellian Matchmaking Masterclass, is definitely one to watch.

Citrus is the brainchild of Waterford-based duo Martina Acosta and Natasha Everitt, who worked together in event production.

The pair trained last year with a dance/theatre company and decided performance is where they belonged, and Citrus was born.

“I am a dancer and Natasha is an actress, so Citrus is physical theatre, but it takes from both our experiences. We kind of learn from each other, but we complement each other with the skills that we have,” said Natasha.

Last weekend, Natasha and Martina performed a preview of their production in development, the Machiavellian Matchmaking Masterclass on Constitution Square.

On their social media, Citrus describe the show as “Chaplin-esque physical comedy, classical music, and worrying voice-overs to take a look at the dark world of toxic dating cultures”. But there is more to the story.

During their performance on Sunday, the pair pulled out two red baseball caps and a banner to match with the phrase 'Make Love Great Again', hinting at a more global meaning.

“It is really about toxic personalities or toxic relationships and manipulation, so we are drawing parallels between manipulative styles of dating or behaving in a romantic relationship and how that can carry into society. The same strategies are being used at a political level and involving the masses. So yes, it is about dating and toxic politics and a big touch of feminism as well," said Martina.

If you are interested in following along with the Citrus journey, you can follow the duo on @citrus.theatre on Instagram.

You can also follow Natasha @natashaeverettarts and Martina @martinacosterava.

“We will be back for hopefully Spraoi 2027 with a full show,” said Natasha.