Playing On Theatre company presents a moving and provocative drama that opens a window to the closed world of psychiatry. Hearing Things, by Philip Osment, explores the blurred lines between perceptions of mental illness in society and the many different realities from the point of view of patients, relatives and staff.

This event is part of the new season opening at the Wellcome Collection in September: Medicine, What Now? The program includes many events centre around a major free exhibition, Bedlam: the asylum and beyond. The exhibition traces the rise and fall of the mental asylum by following the story of one such institution, Bethel Royal Hospital in London, know in popular slang as Bedlam.

The display focuses on the diverse perspectives and lived experiences of individuals who inhabited the asylum or created alternative to it - their voices have shaped the meaning of mental illness and the current landscape of mental healthcare. Bedlam juxtaposes historical material and medical records with individual testimonies and works by artists such as David Beales, Richard Dadd, Dora Garcia, whose works reflect or reimagine the institution, as both a physical and a virtual space.

Another event of interest for actors will be run by Siobhan Davies Dance: Moving Conversation. Choreographers and scientists explore the connection between mind, body and feeling, through performance and discussion, as part of research for a new work by Siobhan Davies Dance.