A Small Enclosed Room with Alfie Murphy at The Lowry
Shekina Rose, Families Editor
Coming to The Lowry this October, A Small Enclosed Room with Alfie Murphy will take you on a remarkable journey into the mind of a man… or is it the mind of one of his characters?
Is he a guru, a rocker, an artist, or none of these things? Whoever he is, he has something to say… something that could hold a window into his inner thoughts and feelings, but will definitely leave you knowing more about your inner truth.
But the thing is, none of these stories or personas are real. Alfie Murphy, the protagonist, isn’t here to bare his soul. His personality is a creation, a mask he wears for the world, and the stories he shares are fabrications. But they are fabrications that must be told.
Exploring masking, autism, mental health, and the fine line between reality and fantasy, this darkly comic performance raises an important question: when the self you present to the world is always a character, what’s underneath? Is there an authentic self? Or just some fabulous stories we want to tell?
The show comes from the minds of the “wildly creative” (The Guardian) Cian Binchy (known for his work on ITV, BBC 1, and the Royal Court), Shaun Dunne (How to Tell a Secret on Netflix, Making a Mark) and Leah Moore (Good Omens Bonus Content), and is produced by Access All Areas in partnership with The Lowry.
Access All Areas is known for challenging the status quo, with performances that defy expectations and offer new perspectives on disability and mental health. The Guardian described their previous work Not F**kin’ Sorry as, “a riotous upending of audiences’ preconceptions of disability.”
This latest production continues in that tradition — it’s bold, unpredictable, and utterly unique. Don’t miss out on an unforgettable performance that will leave you questioning your own truths and where exactly the boundaries between reality and performance blur.
