'People say life's too short, it's not. It's too bloody long. There's too much time and too many ways to fill it, all those hours in all those days, all those choices you have to make.'

Sam's eighteen and her life's about to start. Zoe's forty-something and hers never did. They don't have much in common. Just a love of '80s new wave, and an illness that wants them dead.

Thrown together in an eating disorder unit, their most intimate secrets exposed, they form a complicated bond. But when another patient turns the ward into chaos, they're forced to confront a difficult question: if an institution is the thing keeping you safe, how are you supposed to cope when you leave?

Authentic, witty and profoundly compassionate, Laura Waldren's play Some Demon won the Papatango New Writing Prize and the Clive Richards Foundation Writer in Residence Bursary, and was first produced by Papatango Theatre Company at the Arcola Theatre, London, and Bristol Old Vic in 2024.



Laura Waldren is a playwright and actor. Some Demon is her debut play.



'An astonishing debut, a drama which gives a fresh insight into NHS eating disorder treatment centres. Ambitious, astute and utterly gripping, Some Demon demonstrates precisely why the industry needs to actively invest in developing new voices... Waldren's witty script is also full of one-line zingers that help make this play simultaneously educational, informative and hugely entertaining. Waldren is one to watch'



'Powerfully affecting and clear eyed... unflinching and empathetic'



'Searing... homes in on the hellish cycles and contradictions caused by an eating disorder'



'A major talent, one of my plays of the year to date... Some Demon does that thing all great plays do: it leaves you debating its points while you exit the theatre. A knotty play with no easy answers perhaps, but it is one that shows the humanity behind the illness. This isn't just a strong debut play, this is an excellent work full stop, and one that confirms Waldren as a talent going places'



'Has a raw integrity and a painful authenticity'



'Excellent... a profound reflection on the shortcomings of the nation's mental health support system... Though far from an easy watch, it's rife with urgent necessity... Waldren's debut is simply remarkable'



'Highly intelligent, deeply moving and powerful'



'Compassionate and powerful'



'Excellent... a powerful exploration of the impact of an eating disorder... has a raw honesty'