Five Characters In Search of a Good Night's Sleep

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