THIEF to Premiere at Brighton Fringe, 13-18 May

Thief, a new piece of theatre exploring the transience of beauty, will premiere at the Brighton Fringe May 13- 18th, before transferring to the Edinburgh Festival Fringe in August.

Inspired by the life and works of playwright and poet Jean Genet, Thief is a dark and challenging play, not for the easily offended.

Thief is written and directed by Liam Rudden, whose previous Fringe successes include the sell out Silence In Court (Edinburgh Fringe 20011 & 2013), the award winning c*ckAnd Bull Story (Edinburgh Fringe 2011) and Killers (5 stars Brighton Argus) at last year's Brighton Fringe.

Thief is an intimate piece of immersive theatre which allows the audience a more personal experience, without a fourth wall breaking the barrier between them and performer.

Writer and Director Liam Rudden says:
"Thief was never going to be an easy play to write, nor will it necessarily be easy to watch. Consequently, the reaction, so far, from the few who have read it has been so welcome.

Thief is about Sailor, a victim who refuses to see himself as that, who fights back. Sailor has been abused all his life. At 27 however, he is now in control of the circumstances that created the 'monster' he has become. At least that's what he believes. Sailor is a man struggling to maintain his last ounce of humanity and self-respect, while doing what it takes to survive the brutal underworld of civilised society. His ethos of subverting accepted moral behaviour and self-expression is drawn loosely from the works and life of Jean Genet.Set in a timeless world of dockside taverns and the cobbled shadowlands of foggy ports, the story charts one man's survival. A squalid survival some still find themselves embracing even now, as much as society would like to deny that is the case.

Importantly, however, Thief has no message. It's there to provoke thought and discussion and hopefully, entertain, albeit on an extremely dark level."

2026 Theater Fans' Choice Awards - Live Stats

Best Lighting Design - Top 3

1. Jen Schriever, Michael Arden - The Lost Boys

37.6% of votes

2. Jack Knowles - Two Strangers (Carry a Cake Across New York)

10.7% of votes

3. Kevin Adams - Chess

7.2% of votes

Vote Now! View Live Stats