Mum

Mum is a darkly funny and emotionally honest new play about siblings, survival, and the chaos of family life. When Jake returns home for a weekend visit, he and his sister Ailish are quickly pulled back into the familiar whirlwind of their mum’s unpredictable moods. As dinner turns to disaster and breadsticks become projectiles, the siblings retreat to the safety of Jake’s childhood bedroom—but the walls are thin, and the past is loud.

Set over one claustrophobic evening, Mum unpacks familiar struggles around mental health and the quiet heartbreak of always being the ‘strong one’. Through biting humour and intimate conversations, Jake and Ailish confront what it means to love someone who won’t admit they’re struggling—and whether honesty is really the best policy.

Tender, sharp, and painfully relatable, Mum is a play for anyone who’s ever laughed through gritted teeth at a family gathering and thought, “We don’t talk about that.”

Cast

Ailish: Abbey Gillet 

Jake: Johnny Allison

Creative Team 

Director: Elsa Strachan 

Designer: Constance Comparot

Lighting Designer: Brett Kasza 

Composer and Sound Designer: Angus Tikka 

Movement Director: Rebecca Reaney

Photos by Ben Wilkin