Dramaturg's Note

People, Places and Things follows the story of a young woman named Emma as she battles substance abuse disorder following her brother's death. After blacking out on stage, Emma brings herself to a substance abuse rehabilitation facility to gain a certificate stating she is able to return to work. Emma is extremely reluctant to following the steps to recovery, eventually leaving and returning to the facility around a month later. While the process is grueling, Emma finally agrees to follow the program.

People, Places, and Things is a play focusing on triumph over substance abuse, but this does not constitute only positive experiences. We see the effects of withdrawal, relapse, and trauma. While the play does not show any graphic scenes, please be aware of the nature of the production and its representation of rehabilitation.

The recovery process shown in the play focuses mainly on the 12 step process widely used by Alcoholics Anonymous and Narcotics Anonymous across the globe. This process originally uses the Christian God as the higher power, however in modern day a higher power can be found anywhere and it is not limited to one or any God. People, Places, and Things uses the modern day definition of higher power.

Duncan Macmillan is a British playwright, most famous for his works Lungs, People, Places and Things, as well as a co-op production of George Orwell's 1984. People, Places and Things debuted at the National Theatre in 2015, in co-production with Headlong Theatre Company. People, Places and Things was nominated for the Olivier Award for Best New Play, and Denise Gough won the Olivier Award for Best Actress.