North East playwright makes return with ‘jump-out-of-your-seat’ ghost play

An exciting and frightening ghost story will be spooking the Sunderland Empire very soon, as a North East born playwright returns to the region.

Award-winning 2:22 A Ghost Story, will follow the story of Jenny (played by Emmerdale’s Fiona Wade), who believes her new home haunted, and is trying to convince her husband Sam (played by George Rainsford), as well as friends Ben (played by Jay McGuiness) and Lauren (played by Vera Chok), to believe her claims.

The show will make you question whether you are a believer or a sceptic, and is guaranteed to have you on the edge of your seat.

2:22 A Ghost Story by North East born playwright Danny Robins, who was inspired to write the story after a friend told him she had seen a ghost. 

Robins explained: “It really blew me away, because she’s not the type of person I’d expect to have that kind of experience. I was immediately fascinated by the idea that different people would react to her in very different ways. Some people might believe her and some people might laugh at her, others would be annoyed by her - this whole range of possible opinions became the foundations of 2:22.”

The thriller is peppered with scary moments, but also a few laughs, as Robins said: “The play takes place across one evening and seeks to fundamentally answer the question

of whether ghosts exist. It’s a jump-out-of-your-seat, spine-tingling psychological thriller,

but also a really great night out. Audiences yell, scream, laugh and cry - it’s a good way to

get to know your neighbour as well as you’ll probably need an arm to grab hold of for support!”

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The story revolves around married couple Jenny and Sam, who are in the process of redecorating their new home, and Jenny believes the home is visited by a supernatural presence at 2:22am each morning. 

However, Robins encourages audiences to know as little about the production as possible before seeing it for themselves for the first time. 

Explaining the writing process behind 2:22 A Ghost Story, Robins said: “It’s been a totally obsessive labour of love. I poured over every single word of this play for about five years. It was actually the research for 2:22 A Ghost Story that led me to creating my podcasts Battersea Poltergeist and Uncanny. I speak to people who’ve had interactions with ghosts regularly so I took some inspiration from there too.”

The role of Jenny has been played by many different celebrities since 2:22 A Ghost Story began, making it the theatre debut for many. The likes of Lily Allen, Cheryl Tweedy and Laura Whitmore have played the role previously, and Stacey Dooley set to star very soon. 

Robins explained the casting process, as he said: “What I find the most interesting is how a different cast changes the dynamics between characters immediately, and changes how the audience perceives each character. For example, the impact of Jenny not being believed is felt differently for a Jenny who doesn’t have an RP accent or a Jenny who is from the global majority. This adds an additional nuance to her husband’s inability to take her seriously or believe her.”

2:22 A Ghost Story will be performed at the Sunderland Empire from Tuesday, May 21 and will run until Saturday, May 25.

Robin said: “It’ll make you laugh, it’ll make you cry, it’ll make you jump out of your seat - this is a really immersive night out.”

He continued: “2:22 is an adrenaline-fuelled experience that is both entertaining and thought-provoking. I’m sure that all families, couples, and friends who see the show will spend the rest of their evenings haunted with the possibilities of the supernatural!

For more information and to book tickets, please visit the Sunderland Empire section of the ATG Tickets website.