Dark Night of the Soul
Sam Wanamaker Playhouse, London

THE FAUST myth is one which has long captivated. From Christopher Marlowe’s Doctor Faustus, currently playing the Globe theatre, to Goethe’s Faust to Mikhail Bulgakov’s The Master and Margarita and on to David Mamet’s Faustus, many male writers have reinterpreted this myth for their own times and contexts.

Gertrude Stein’s Doctor Faustus Lights the Lights remains a notable female-penned exception. But Dark Night of the Soul, an anthology of short plays, seeks to redress that balance, with a group of female writers seeking answers to that apparently timeless question — what would you sell your soul for?

In five short pieces, the answers are complex and intriguing. What should a doctor do when a mistake leads to a lifetime of suffering? How do you protect your pregnant maid and your daughter? Do you keep the secrets of dying family members or do you tell your own truth, no matter what the cost?