THE PANOPTICON

By Jenni Fagan
Performed at The Traverse Theatre

“If you want to hear a new generation of Scottish women roar – with a style and ferocity that could echo round the world – then the Traverse is the place to be”
- The Scotsman review of The Panopticon

Fifteen-year-old Anais Hendricks is smart, funny and fierce. She has also been let down by about every adult she has never met. Sitting in the back of a police car she is taken to the Panopticon, a young offender institution.

Inside the circular, controlling Panopticon, the residents develop intense bonds. All have experienced the failings of the care system; Anais refuses to be defined by it.

Brought for the first time to the stage, The Panopticon is a visceral, bloody and brutal testament to life and friendship. We have a new kind of heroine for the 21st century.

CAST:
Anna Russell Martin
Paul Tinto
Kyle Gardiner
Gail Watson
Kay McAllister
Lawrence H Mullings
Louise McMenemy
Martin Donaghy
Laura Lovemore

Associate Director: Fiona Mackinnon
Designer: Max Johns
LX Designer: Simon Wilkinson
Animator: Cat Bruce
Sound Designer/Composition: Mark Melville
Casting Director: Laura Donnelly CDG
Movement Director: Skye Reynolds

★★★★ “Exhilarating tale of harsh reality and fabulous imagination” - The Scotsman
★★★★ “The Panopticon is a palpable hit…a tight, stylish production” - The Telegraph
★★★★ “Russell-Martin brings a fierce non-conformity and a vibrant intellectual curiosity to Anais” - The Stage
★★★★ “No-holds-barred…played out by an exceptional cast on Max Johns’ ingenious semi-circular set” - The Herald
★★★★★ “Each element of the performance combines to create an angry, defiant, magical and symbolic world” - The Skinny
★★★★ “Russell-Martin sustains Anais’s contradictions beautifully” - The Times
★★★★★ “It is theatre at its best, working to illuminate the darkest corners of an unforgiving world, which most would prefer to ignore.” — Young Perspective
★★★★ “A production that pulsates with life” - Fresh Air
★★★★ “Bloody, bold and fierce'“ — Reviews Hub
★★★★ “(an) intense and brutal tale of a loveless childhood” — The Guardian
★★★★ “A hard-hitting and emotionally-charged show” — Edinburgh Guide
★★★★ “A shining star on the theatrical horizon“ - Edinburgh49
★★★★ “A production to shock, stimulate and challenge you” - EdinburghFestival