The Incident Room (NHB Modern Plays)

It's 1975. The Millgarth Incident Room in Leeds is the epicentre of the biggest manhunt in British history, for one of the most notorious serial killers: the Yorkshire Ripper. With public and political pressure mounting, hundreds of officers must work around the clock and resort to increasingly audacious attempts to end one man's campaign of terror. Olivia Hirst and David Byrne's 'beautifully crafted' (Guardian) play goes behind the scenes to investigate the case that nearly broke the British police force. The Incident Room was first performed at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe in 2019, transferring to New Diorama Theatre, London, in 2020, ahead of an Off-Broadway run. 'The ingenuity of this piece is that it gives you a pacey, clock-ticking sense of what things were like' - Telegraph 'Tense and chilling' - Daily Mail 'Completely compelling to watch... intelligent, imaginative and, most of all, damn interesting' - The Stage

Olivia Hirst is an actor and writer, and the co-founder of Lost Watch theatre company. Her plays include The Incident Room, written with David Byrne (Edinburgh Festival Fringe, 2019; New Diorama Theatre, London, 2020).