Age guidance: 12+
Performance dates
11 September - 10 October 2026
Run time: 2h 10mins
Includes interval
A masterwork of psychological suspense, The Turn of the Screw is Henry James’ iconic 1898 novella and a landmark of gothic fiction that has influenced generations of writers, including Susan Hill’s The Woman in Black. Now reimagined for the stage, this brand-new adaptation brings its unsettling atmosphere and ambiguity to the Arcola Theatre.
England. A remote country house. A young governess is hired to care for two children, beginning what appears to be an idyllic new life – but something about them hints at a darker presence. Desperate to protect them from what she believes to be malevolent spirits, she descends into a world of increasing uncertainty. Are the ghosts real, or is she projecting something far more terrifying?
A young governess arrives at a remote English estate to care for two children, but her sense of purpose soon becomes consumed by fear and suspicion as she becomes convinced the house is haunted and the children are in danger.