Synopsis

Amy, a 19-year-old hotel chambermaid, is the central figure in Laura Wade’s dark and haunting play “Breathing Corpses.” The play weaves together the lives of several characters, including Amy, Jim, Kate, Elaine, Ray, Ben, and Charlie, through the common thread of encountering dead bodies. Each character’s story is revealed through a series of interconnected scenes, depicting the moments before and after discovering a corpse, highlighting the psychological impact of death on the living.

The play explores themes of mortality, the fragility of life, and the interconnectedness of human experiences. It is a drama with a non-linear narrative, structured in an episodic format that shifts between different characters’ perspectives and timelines. The settings include a hotel room, a self-storage facility, a house, and various other locations, creating a tapestry of urban and domestic environments that reflect the characters’ inner turmoil and the pervasive presence of death.