26 September 2025
Newsdesk
SH Productions, Futures Theatre, and Theatre503 are set to present LOOP, the bold debut play written and performed by the acclaimed actor Tanya-Loretta Dee. Directed by Sophie Ellerby, this surreal one-woman fever dream will run at Theatre503 from November 10 to 29, 2025, with a press performance on Friday, November 14.
LOOP is described as a chilling fusion of folk tale and horror, diving headfirst into the intoxicating pull of obsessive desire and limerence—the state of being involuntarily infatuated with another person. The play explores what happens when fantasy becomes indistinguishable from reality, marking Tanya-Loretta Dee’s distinct emergence as a writer.
The story centers on Bex, who is consumed by her obsession with James. While working a minimum-wage job twisting balloon animals in a Peckham party shop, her mind is fixated solely on him. A locket, a gift from her mother, whispers ignored warnings as Bex's grip on reality loosens. She finds herself circling the same dark stories—tales of wolves, witches, and raw desire—each more unsettling than the last. The central question remains: Will Bex ever break the loop of her own mind, or will she disappear into her dark fantasy forever?
“I wrote Loop as a way of exploring the thin line between obsession and love - or what we often mistake for love,” says Tanya-Loretta Dee. “My interest in limerence and infatuation kept leading me back to horror and folklore - those old cautionary tales where desire and danger are intertwined. That kind of longing feels ancient, living in the eerie space between reality and imagination.”
With over a decade of experience across theatre, television, and film, Tanya-Loretta Dee is no stranger to the stage, with credits including Big Big Sky and The Company of Wolves (The New Vic). As a writer, she has been commissioned by Futures Theatre and Small Truth Theatre and will join the prestigious Royal Court Writers’ Group in early 2026. This daring solo work, shaped by real conversations and shared experiences, promises to be a powerful and psychologically complex theatrical experience that drags the audience into the horrors of an obsessive mind.
Tickets for LOOP at Theatre503 are available now.
