Harriet Madeley's OUTPATIENT is Coming to Park Theatre

Inspired by writer Harriet Madeley's own experiences of being diagnosed with a life-changing condition, this autobiographical solo-show explores the fragility of the human body and how we handle the prospect of death. Told with wry comedy and relentless energy, Outpatient follows Olive, a self-obsessed entertainment journalist who sets out to make her name interviewing dying people, only to discover she's living on borrowed time. As she ruthlessly cuts ties and pursues life without consequence in the name of freedom and making an impact, it unmasks the egotistical sense of invincibility humans experience when trying to outrun our fate. In its examination of dying, Outpatient is at its heart is a love-story with overflowing messages of hope for when we face the hopeless.

Outpatient premiered at Edinburgh Festival Fringe 2024, winning Summerhall's Lustrum Award for Unforgettable Theatre. A one-off documentary about the journey of making Outpatient will be released on BBC Radio 4 under its 'Illuminated' strand later in 2025.

Writer and performer Harriet Madeley said, "It took me years to work up the courage to write Outpatient, and it's exhilarating to share it with the world. Based closely on my experience of being diagnosed with PSC (Google it-or as my doctor said, 'Don't Google it; there's nothing you can do about it'), I hope the show makes audiences laugh, moves them, and, in reminding them of their mortality, leaves them feeling more alive. I wanted to challenge stereotypes around people with life-threatening illness-not everyone is a brave warrior; some (like me) might just be having a disaster. The idea stemmed from a desire to talk about illness and mortality honestly."