Next Door But One

When their dad falls ill, estranged siblings Jo, Sam and Andy are thrown together again for the first time in years. As they come to know each other as adults, they each have assumptions exploded about each other.

Peppered with the humour of family life, Hospital Doors offers a window into intersecting conversations about disability, sexuality, illness and death all held within the same, chaotic family frame.

An intimate show, set in fleeting, transient places – in corridors, over garden walls, on phone calls – it is stacked with giant questions and reflections of modern family dynamics, and the joy that can be found in the mundane efforts we all make to understand those we love.

Hospital Doors was created through a series of workshops across 18 months with community groups of unpaid carers, disabled adults and LGBTQ+ young people and adults.

Performances were supported by creative captioning throughout and a Playback Theatre performance to provide audiences with opportunities to digest and reflect on what they had just watched.

Harper-Hardcastle writes with candour, humour and insight, great understanding too, reminiscent of Mike Leigh and Ken Loach - Charles Hutchinson Press

I could gush about the show all day! I don’t tend to be a fan of naturalist dialogue because in my experience, it’s difficult to achieve and ends up feeling stilted, but WOW! You nailed it! It’s a testament to the performances and the writing in equal measure just how honest and compelling and true each scene felt— especially with the captions! Heartfelt without being maudlin, natural without being mundane, funny and sweet and clever— in short, a masterpiece - Audience Member

Wonderfully written, engaging, & funny - everyone will be able to relate. I’m still thinking about the performance the day after and telling everyone who will listen about it! - Audience Member

The set design was awesome! It gave depth and moments of intrigue and reveal whilst also making the space seem tight in some scenes and spacious in others. Combined with the use of light it formed hard surfaces and yet also shimmered with movement. It was stunning! The creative captions were so very useful. I think possibly even more so than I may have imagined. They looked good, were non-intrusive and demonstrated a clear philosophy that art should be available to everyone. They became a friendly counterpart to the show. - Audience Member

The writing was spot on. The accuracy in the way the family systems and emotions were delivered to us was perfectly pitched. It felt like the writing was not a rush to wave a flag but a commitment to peeling back the layers and making each moment of the play and each word count. - Audience Member

The acting was completely believable, authentic and natural; deftly performed and clearly defined characters. I am blown away by the 3 actors. Their acting skills were phenomenal - they really pulled me in and made me believe every situation. - Audience Member

Next Door But One

Hospital Doors

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