Veritas Theatre Company and KEPOW! Theatre Company will bring their award-winning production of Monster to Seven Dials Playhouse this autumn, in association with the venue. Written by Abigail Hood and directed by Kevin Tomlinson, the play has earned three Off West End Award (OFFIE) nominations and won Best Supporting Performance in 2022.
An unflinching and thought-provoking drama, Monster examines the ripple effects of crimes committed in childhood and whether forgiveness or redemption is possible. Set across two decades, the play follows Kayleigh, a troubled teenager in Glasgow whose close friendship with Zoe provides a temporary escape from abuse at home. Their dreams of running away unravel in tragedy when 15-year-old Kayleigh takes the life of her teacher’s baby daughter. As the story shifts between Kayleigh’s youth and adult life, it interrogates culpability, rehabilitation, and whether cycles of violence can ever be broken.
Though not based on a single case, the play draws from extensive research into child-perpetrated crimes, including the cases of Mary Bell and the murder of James Bulger. Hood’s script asks whether those raised in violence are doomed to repeat it, what redemption might look like, and how survivors and victims’ families can grapple with forgiveness.
“I was struck by the idea of what happens to someone after they’ve committed a terrible crime—especially in childhood,” said Hood. “What drives a child to commit such an atrocity, how do they go on to live a life afterwards, is rehabilitation possible, should the victims of their crime ever forgive, do they deserve forgiveness? These questions stayed with me, and Monster became a way to explore them.”
The revived production will feature a six-strong cast, including two members of the original award-winning ensemble, with casting to be announced soon. Tickets and Info.