Titchfield Festival Theatre premieres new play inspired by Jamie Bulger killing - A Stranger in Our House

A married couple struggling to make ends meet take in a lodger, a new arrival in town. The same lodger who is battling with visions of a dead child and bears a striking resemblance to a recently released prisoner, his arrival causes a stir in the local community and exposes cracks in the family’s relationships.

A Stranger in our House is a blistering exploration of guilt, justice and modern Britain – asking how well do you really know the people in your life?

Bradley Barlow, who lives in Portsmouth, is the writer and director of the play. Formerly artistic director of the acclaimed Pitchy Breath Theatre Company from 2016 to 2020, A Stranger in our House is Bradley’s first production for Titchfield Festival Theatre.

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He says: ‘I’ve always been fascinated in what causes moral panic and outrage in society and A Stranger in our House acts as a cautionary tale of sorts, bubbling up in a pressure cooker in a drive to discover someone’s true identity.

‘I was 11 years old when the murder of two-year-old James Bulger hit the headlines, the nation shocked as it was revealed his life was taken by two young boys who were the same age as me. The media scrutiny was intense, their mugshots plastered on every front page, the vitriol from the general public showing no sign of abating.

‘The death of a child, especially one so brutal, evokes a primal rage in a lot of people. That anger has never gone away and in the years since his release, photos alleging to be of one of Bulger’s killers have made their way onto social media but without any form of verification, potentially ruining an innocent person’s life.

‘Are the actions of vigilantes ever justified? Should we have the right to take the law into our own hands? And what happens when it all goes wrong? A Stranger in our House doesn’t propose to have the answers, but hopefully it will get the audience thinking and talking about the consequences of these various actions.’

It runs from Wednesday, January 11 to Saturday, January 21. Go to titchfieldfestivaltheatre.com.

Please note: This play contains strong language and scenes of an adult nature.