Fathom
The Hope Theatre, 207 Upper Street, N1 1RL
Monday 5th October 2026 - Wednesday 7th October 2026
“Once a body is in a bog, I suppose it becomes a bog body, doesn’t it?”
Finn isn’t entirely sure how he ended up here. Last night, he was driving through the middle of nowhere to meet a stranger who had something very important to tell him, when his car suddenly… well, something weird happened. He was probably overtired.
When he wakes up in a house deep in isolated marshland, inhabited by a young woman called Martha, her peculiar father Peter, and their even more peculiar housekeeper Abigail, something isn’t right. Martha is always talking to someone out on the marsh; Peter seems to know more about Finn than he should; Abigail keeps telling him to be careful. It’s clear that the car crash was no accident – but who brought him here, and why?
Fathom is a feminist, folk-horror retelling of Shakespeare’s The Tempest set against the landscape of the Fens. This is a murky, mischievous, and darkly funny new play that plumbs the depths of rural England – and those who call it their home.
Fathom first appeared as a work-in-progress preview at the Cambridge Junction in April 2026, where audiences described it as “moody and funny”, and “rooted in folklore but entirely original”. Suffolk-based creative Gina Stock returns to direct a full production of this East Anglian thriller. Fathom is written by Imogen Usherwood, the 2025-26 Peter Shaffer Playwright-in-Residence at Trinity College, Cambridge.
Praise for Usherwood’s previous work:
★★★★½ ‘humour, punk, and pathos […] as ridiculous as it is moving.’ – Per Capita
‘Emotionally intelligent, engaging, and witty […] Usherwood’s writing shines with an undeniable sincerity, making her one to watch out for.’ – EdFringe Review
★★★★ ‘Magical to watch […] complex and clever with emotions. Ghosts rarely feel as real as this.’ – Edinburgh Reviews
Running time: Approximately 70 minutes
LATECOMERS MAY NOT BE ADMITTED.
UNDER 18s ARE NOT PERMITTED INTO THE THEATRE FOR THIS PERFORMANCE.
No re-admittance once the performance has commenced. Refunds and exchanges are not available.
Finn isn’t entirely sure how he ended up here. Last night, he was driving through the middle of nowhere to meet a stranger who had something very important to tell him, when his car suddenly… well, something weird happened. He was probably overtired.
When he wakes up in a house deep in isolated marshland, inhabited by a young woman called Martha, her peculiar father Peter, and their even more peculiar housekeeper Abigail, something isn’t right. Martha is always talking to someone out on the marsh; Peter seems to know more about Finn than he should; Abigail keeps telling him to be careful. It’s clear that the car crash was no accident – but who brought him here, and why?
Fathom is a feminist, folk-horror retelling of Shakespeare’s The Tempest set against the landscape of the Fens. This is a murky, mischievous, and darkly funny new play that plumbs the depths of rural England – and those who call it their home.
Fathom first appeared as a work-in-progress preview at the Cambridge Junction in April 2026, where audiences described it as “moody and funny”, and “rooted in folklore but entirely original”. Suffolk-based creative Gina Stock returns to direct a full production of this East Anglian thriller. Fathom is written by Imogen Usherwood, the 2025-26 Peter Shaffer Playwright-in-Residence at Trinity College, Cambridge.
Praise for Usherwood’s previous work:
★★★★½ ‘humour, punk, and pathos […] as ridiculous as it is moving.’ – Per Capita
‘Emotionally intelligent, engaging, and witty […] Usherwood’s writing shines with an undeniable sincerity, making her one to watch out for.’ – EdFringe Review
★★★★ ‘Magical to watch […] complex and clever with emotions. Ghosts rarely feel as real as this.’ – Edinburgh Reviews
Running time: Approximately 70 minutes
LATECOMERS MAY NOT BE ADMITTED.
UNDER 18s ARE NOT PERMITTED INTO THE THEATRE FOR THIS PERFORMANCE.
No re-admittance once the performance has commenced. Refunds and exchanges are not available.
