Angels in the River

Frances lives alone, well not entirely alone. There is Helen, and also Sarah. They like living with Frances. They like to look after her. And they do not want to leave, because it’s dark in the river. But Frances wants a proper life. She wants to start again. The solution? A party!

Some people fit in well with society’s rules while others struggle. Using archetypal symbolism and mythology, the interplay of these characters creates an unsettling world of shifting loyalties, innocence and dependence, an abstract world of light and shadow, a feeling of floating and sinking in this unpredictable stream

Whatever Happened to Tom O’ Bedlam?

In early modern Britain, before the development of mental health institutions, Tom O’ Bedlams were a popular part of the English cultural landscape. They were itinerant entertainers playing the Lunatic and “madly decked and dressed all over in ribbons”.

In the 17th century, however, Britain saw the beginning of modern society, and attitudes towards lunatics and beggars became far less tolerant and by the 1660’s the Tom O’ Bedlams had entirely disappeared.

This play considers the plight of two such wanderers, Tom O’ Bedlam and his traditional partner Mad Maudlin, and asks, “Whatever happened to them?”