Pins and Needles

In this pseudo-verbatim play, Scottish playwright Rob Drummond explores the anti-vaxxer movement after the famous Wakefield paper and during the COVID pandemic through the eyes of three people with vastly different experiences.

Well, I suppose we have to believe him. He is the author. The authority. CAUTION: CONTAINS TRUTH, LIES AND MISINFORMATION. YOU DECIDE. Rob is putting science and scepticism to the test in his new play. For research, he speaks to Mary, a mother trying to make the best decisions for her family, Toby, an angry son who distrusts institutions, and Edward Jenner, the father of modern vaccinations. The more he listens, the more he struggles to keep his own subjectivity off the table, which begs the question – how do you know who to trust? Rob Drummond, whose plays are ‘utterly unpredictable’ (The Stage), explores the politics around vaccines, and the human stories behind them in Pins and Needles. This edition was published to coincide with the world premiere at London's Kiln Theatre in September 2024.