Synopsis

On a muddy patch of Northumbrian earth in the mid-16th century, ancient traditions collide with the forces of change during Whitsuntide

Percy Lamrose, a young man fiercely attached to his ancestral home, finds his world upended when he learns that the boundaries of his land are being redrawn on the orders of the king. As he grapples with this threat to his identity, Percy encounters a mysterious Boy involved in the boundary-beating ritual and experiences surreal visions of past and future violence. Meanwhile, his companions Rowan and Samuel become entangled in Percy’s struggle against forces beyond his control.

Stewart Pringle’s haunting drama explores themes of identity, tradition, and the cyclical nature of violence in English history. Through a series of increasingly dreamlike encounters, the play examines the tension between individual autonomy and the sweeping currents of political power. With dialogue that shifts between earthy realism and poetic prophecy, The Bounds offers a meditation on the human cost of progress and the enduring trauma of those caught at the margins of society.