48 Thoughts Per Minute
Co-produced by New Wolsey Theatre. Co-commissioned by Corn Exchange Newbury and Warwick Arts Centre. Written by The Paper Birds & Jessica Fostekew – Playhouse
Now on sale to members. Login or become a member to unlock priority booking. On general sale from 10am on Sat 17 October.
Become a memberOn sale to members from 10am on Sat 10 October. On general sale from 10am on Sat 17 October.
About
A fast-paced, hilarious and chaotic show, about all the things we think but do not say.
Some scientists believe your brain fires off around 48 thoughts per minute*, that’s 70,000 a day. So what are we actually thinking about? The Paper Birds, UK leaders in devised verbatim theatre, return with their most inventive, laugh-out-loud show yet, celebrating the ways we think.
Set over the course of three minutes, as one woman awaits some potentially life-changing news, 48 Thoughts Per Minute is a fast-paced, chaotic and warmly relatable story about our relationship with ourselves. From mirror-based self-reflection, 3am catastrophising, and memories that arrive uninvited.
Co-created with comedian Jessica Fostekew (The Guilty Feminist, Hoovering), the show blends sharp new writing with stories from real people across the UK. Built with designers, academics and neuroscientists, the staging, sound and visuals reflect one woman’s brain, hurtling along at the same swift pace, navigating us through overlapping logic, emotions, memories and internal conversations. And you’ll have the option to join in too, sharing your own thoughts via your smartphone. Equal parts belly laughs and gentle gut-punch, it asks how we navigate the world, and the most important relationship we have, the one with ourselves.
*From The American Journal of Medicine.
Closed captions are available for 48 Thoughts Per Minute, delivered to audience members' own mobile devices.