University Players

By Polly Stenham, directed by Jasper Koch

A room where the curtains are always closed. A mother and son in bed — reading, drawing, drifting through the day. An idyllic picture of familial bliss… or is it? Martha and Henry live isolated from the real world, with Henry trying to manage Martha’s addictions and instability. When his sister Mia faces expulsion from boarding school, the real world forces its way past the curtains and threatens the fragile family balance.

In their summer production of That Face, the University Players explore the corrosive effects of addiction, co-dependency, and fractured family bonds. Raw and darkly funny, Polly Stenham’s acclaimed debut exposes the chaos hidden behind privilege, intimacy, and family loyalty. Written when Stenham was just 19, That Face premiered at the Royal Court Theatre to critical acclaim and quickly established her as one of the most distinctive voices in contemporary British theatre.

"There is so much vigour in the writing that one leaves the theatre feeling strangely exhilarated." (THE DAILY TELEGRAPH)

Trigger Warning: This production contains themes of addiction, emotional and physical abuse, and self-destructive behaviour.

Photo by Sarah Naumann