“You’ll never be a grown up if you can’t face the dark, it said. Be brave. Be brave”
When his marriage fails to survive the lockdown, a man moves into his Mother’s empty house. It’s too big for one person – a strange and unsettling place to isolate in. But something far stranger – and infinitely more terrifying – is about to occur. Anthony Neilson’s The Ground Floor takes you on a classic journey of poetry and terror: eerie, haunting, beautiful, and straight out of the uncanny valley.
Written by Anthony Neilson
Read by Paapa Essiedu
Directed by Jennifer Bakst
Sound, Music and Editing by Max Pappenheim
CONTENT WARNING – This audio drama contains scenes some people may find disturbing
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Anthony Neilson is also a director. His previous theatre credits include The Menu, The Tell-Tale Heart (National Theatre), The Prudes, Unreachable, Narrative, Get Santa!, Relocated, The Lying Kind (Royal Court Theatre), Alice’s Adventures In Wonderland, Realism (The Edinburgh Lyceum), The Haunting of Hill House (Liverpool Playhouse), God In Ruins (Soho Theatre), The Wonderful World of Dissocia (The Edinburgh Lyceum/ Theatre Royal Plymouth/Royal Court Theatre/UK tour), Stitching (Traverse Theatre/ Bush Theatre). Most recently, he directed two episodes of the TV series I HATE SUZIE, starring Billie Piper, which will air on Sky in late August.
Paapa Essiedu’s theatre credits include Pass Over (Kiln Theatre), The Convert (Young Vic), Pinter One (Harold Pinter Theatre), Hamlet, King Lear (RSC, Kennedy Center and Brooklyn Academy of Music, New York – Ian Charleson and UK Theatre Award winner for Best Actor), Racing Demon (Theatre Royal Bath), The Merry Wives of Windsor, The Mouse and his Child (RSC), You For Me For You (Royal Court Theatre), Romeo and Juliet (Tobacco Factory), King Lear (National Theatre), Black Jesus (Finborough Theatre), Outside on the Street (Pleasance Theatre), and Dutchman (Orange Tree Theatre). For television, his work includes I May Destroy You, Gangs of London, Press, The Miniaturist, Black Earth Rising, Revolting, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Kiri, Not Safe for Work and Utopia; and for film, Murder on the Orient Express and Women at the Well (Screen International Star of Tomorrow 2017).
Creative Associate at English Touring Theatre Jennifer Bakst is a director and dramaturg. She was previously New Work Associate at Kiln Theatre. Her theatre credits as a director include Dear Future Generation (Kiln Theatre Young Company), Armstrong’s War (Finborough Theatre) and theatre work with young prisoners for the Synergy Theatre Project. Her credits as an associate director include Handbagged (Kiln Theatre/59E59 New York) and The Great Wave (National Theatre)
Max Pappenheim‘s theatre includes The Night of the Iguana (West End); The Way of the World (Donmar); The Children (Royal Court/Broadway); Waiting for Godot (Sheffield Crucible); Macbeth (Chichester Festival Theatre); Dry Powder, Sex with Strangers, Labyrinth (Hampstead); Ophelias Zimmer (Schaubühne, Berlin/Royal Court); Crooked Dances (Royal Shakespeare Company); One Night in Miami (Nottingham Playhouse); Hogarth’s Progress (Rose Theatre Kingston); The Ridiculous Darkness (Gate Theatre); The Gaul (Hull Truck); A Kettle of Fish(Yard Theatre); CommonWealth (Almeida); Creve Coeur (Print Room); Switzerland, Spamalot, The Glass Menagerie (English Theatre of Frankfurt); Mrs Lowry and Son(Trafalgar Studios); My Cousin Rachel, The Habit of Art, Monogamy, Teddy, Toast, Fabric, Invincible (National Tours). Opera includes Miranda (Opéra Comique, Paris); Scraww (Trebah Gardens); Vixen (Vaults/International Tour); Carmen: Remastered (ROH/Barbican). Radio includes Home Front (BBC Radio 4). Associate Artist of The Faction and Silent Opera.