The Door at the Park Theatre – preview

A publicity image for Cherise Cross’s unsettling drama The Door

Too much coffee, the stress of work, general worries or not being able to switch off – we’ve all at some point experienced the frustration of a sleepless night.

But insomnia is another matter, a surreal and sometimes torturous netherworld that can feel like madness. This is the subject of Cherise Cross’s unsettling drama The Door, which opens at the Park Theatre next month.

The play, which was shortlisted for the Best New Play Award at this year’s Brighton Fringe, was inspired by the 32-year-old playwright’s own battles with sleep deprivation.

She says: “My biggest fear in the world is losing my mind, so when I suffered with chronic insomnia in my mid-twenties the mental affects this had on me tapped into my phobia. I felt like I was living in a real life horror film – I didn’t know what was real and what wasn’t.”

The production is by 8fold theatre, a London based company whose work delves into the workings of the psyche by presenting an emotionally engaging story before throwing in strange and unexpected occurrences that distort reality.

“We believe there’s more than one side to every story. To take things at face value is to lose an opportunity to think for yourself,” says Cross, who is joint company director of 8fold theatre.

“We want our audience to leave the theatre with their own conclusions about what they have just experienced based on their perceptions, beliefs, outlooks and personal experiences. ”

Moving from Brighton Fringe to the Park Theatre has given the cast and crew the chance to rework the show alongside a new director, Amy Draper. This time the production will be in the round, which Cross hopes will make the audience feel immersed in the action.

“To us it feels like a fresh, new production and following feedback and workshops it has evolved quite dramatically,” she adds.

The Door is on at The Park Theatre, Clifton Terrace N4 3JP from 12 November until 1 December