Prey For Me

Developed from her original script that reached the top 1% of the BBC Writersroom Open Call, Prey For Me throws audiences into the terrifying aftermath of a cyberattack that unlocks every cell in a Category A men’s prison. As violence spreads through the prison’s corridors and the authorities lose control, inmates turn predators, and the most vulnerable prisoners become targets. Leading the hunt is notorious hacker and gang leader Sawyer, unleashing a merciless pursuit of the prison’s protected inmates: a disgraced former prison officer, a superstar footballer, a pitiful outcast and a serial killer. Fighting for their survival a terrifying tale of bravery, betrayal and sacrifice unwinds and as events spiral everything the audience thinks they know begins to unravel, with shattering real-world consequences.

Though fictional, Prey For Me is inspired by the real-world phenomenon of miscarriages of justice and the growing culture of public condemnation, drawing unsettling parallels with cases dominating headlines today. Exploring fear, mob mentality, and society’s hunger for punishment, the play asks what could happen when society decides someone deserves punishment before the whole truth is known or worse, when the accused is innocent.

Following her critically acclaimed Off West End debut Christmas is Cancelled in 2025, writer Tuula Costelloe decided to adapt her leading BBC Writersroom submission (top 42 out of 4,200 entries) for the stage. While living with OCD, Costelloe became haunted by the fear of being wrongly accused, publicly vilified and condemned to spend years in prison for a crime never committed.

Prey For Me is a bold, provocative and unflinchingly relevant new thriller raising urgent questions about justice, fear and human nature and challenges audiences to confront their own instincts, asking them to decide where they stand.

Where: Union Theatre Southwark, London, SE1 0LR

When: Mon 31 August – Thu 10 September

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