Peter Imms's new play Bedlam, which links a patient of the hospital in 1625 with a young man seeking help in 2022, opens at the Mercury Theatre in Colchester in April 2027 before transferring to London's Arcola Theatre.
Bedlam, a new play by Peter Imms, is to be the first Mercury Original production of 2027 at the Mercury Theatre in Colchester. It opens there in April, transfers to the Arcola Theatre in London and then ends its run at the New Wolsey Theatre in Ipswich.
The production is a co-production between the Mercury and the Arcola, presented in association with the New Wolsey, and it returns the play to the theatre where it began: Imms started work on it on the Mercury Playwright's Programme in 2023/24.
The play moves between two centuries. In 1625, Shill, who has lived in Bedlam since she was a child and talks to people no one else can see, passes her days with Robert, the hospital's keeper, whose promises of hope hold her hunger off. Change is on its way: the King intends to reform the hospital, its first doctor is appointed, and there are plans to let the paying public through its doors. In 2022, Aaron, who is suicidal, resolves to admit himself to a psychiatric unit near home, despite the doubts of his mother, Tracey, who fears that patients leave such places in a worse state than they arrived. When the two meet, neither can explain it, yet each finds the other a safer place than the world they live in.
Inspired by true events, the play sets mental illness and institutional failure side by side across four hundred years, and asks how much has really changed in the way society treats its most vulnerable people.
"We are delighted to be premiering this beautiful and important play from Peter Imms, an artist we have worked with over a number of years on the development of the piece," said Natasha Rickman, artistic director of the Mercury. Her counterpart at the Arcola, Mehmet Ergen, called it "a moving and powerful exploration of mental health, tackling a vital and often uncomfortable subject with boldness and insight".
Imms said: "I'm so excited to bring this urgent and uniquely told story to Colchester audiences and beyond. After beginning the project on the Mercury Playwright's Programme in 2023/24, it feels only right that this is where Bedlam will get its world premiere."
An award-winning playwright from the West Midlands, Imms won the Adopt a Playwright Award 2026, and Bedlam formed part of his winning application; the play was also shortlisted for the Peter Shaffer NT Commission and longlisted for the George Devine Award. His earlier play Section 2 ran at the Bunker Theatre and was shortlisted for the New Diorama UNTAPPED Award, and he has since joined the Royal Court's Writers' Group.
Bedlam runs at the Mercury Theatre, Balkerne Gate, Colchester, from Thursday 8 to Saturday 17 April 2027, with the press performance on Tuesday 13 April. It then plays in Studio 2 at the Arcola Theatre from Wednesday 21 April to Saturday 15 May, and at the New Wolsey Theatre, Ipswich, from Tuesday 18 to Thursday 20 May. The production runs for 90 minutes without an interval and is recommended for ages 16 and over.
For more information, visit the official website.
