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Five insomniacs try to make it through the night. From dusk to dawn, they struggle with a crisis in their lives which they must resolve by morning. Increasingly conscious of their shortening futures and lengthening pasts, they fill their nights with distracting activities, desperate sleep techniques, evaluations of their lives, delusions, fears, panics and utter foolishness as they prepare to face the day.
Five Characters in Search of a Good Night's Sleep was conceived in response to the current public-health crisis of insomnia, with 30% of the UK population suffering from some form of sleep disturbance. It was created through a series of workshops, and first produced by ViSiBLE Theatre Ensemble at Southwark Playhouse, London, in 2022, directed by acclaimed director Mike Alfreds.
ViSiBLE is dedicated to creating performance work that throws fresh perspectives on later life and living longer. Their work is created collaboratively, drawing on the creativity and talent of Britain's huge wealth of experienced older actors.
The play is a fascinating insight into a condition that is widely experienced but little understood, and will provide valuable material for other actors – especially older ones – to perform.
"A masterclass in monologue… an interesting piece of theatre that encourages you to consider the torment of insomnia." —Upper Circle
"The writing is beautifully candid… it's refreshing to see older characters portrayed in a multi-faceted way that explores existentialism and humanity rather than stereotyping and defining them by their age." —North West End UK
"A great example of storytelling, with five sound monologues." —London Theatre Reviews
Mike Alfreds has been directing plays for more than fifty years. In the 1970s he founded Shared Experience, and has since worked for the National Theatre, Shakespeare's Globe, the Royal Shakespeare Company and also extensively abroad. He is hugely respected within the profession.
Sonja Linden is a playwright and Artistic Director of ViSiBLE Theatre Ensemble, which she founded create to new performance work that reflects the lives of older people in our society.