Wish List

Synopsis

Milton Keynes, present day. A cramped flat becomes a battleground of survival, ambition, and familial duty

Tamsin Carmody, a young woman struggling to make ends meet, takes a grueling job at a fulfillment center to support her younger brother Dean, who suffers from severe OCD. As Tamsin navigates the dehumanizing world of corporate productivity, she forms a tentative connection with Luke, a fellow worker. Meanwhile, Dean grapples with the loss of his disability benefits and his debilitating rituals.

Katherine Soper’s Wish List is a stark, intimate exploration of the human cost of austerity and the gig economy. Through its tightly focused lens on Tamsin and Dean’s daily struggles, the play illuminates broader themes of social inequality, mental health, and the erosion of workers’ rights. Soper’s naturalistic dialogue and carefully observed details create a vivid portrait of lives lived on the margins, while the play’s structure – alternating between the warehouse and the siblings’ flat – highlights the relentless pressure faced by those caught between caring responsibilities and economic necessity. The play tackles issues of familial obligation, ambition, and the search for dignity in a system that seems designed to strip it away.