GAIL LOUW and The Playground Theatre London Productions presents
ADHD? WTF is ADHD!
28 MAY - 1 JUN
Written by GAIL LOUW with LOUISE COMB
Performed by EMMA WILKINSON WRIGHT
Director ANTHONY SHRUBSALL
Video mapping by HELENA HIPÓLITO
Technical Designer and Stage Manager MAY BUCILLIAT
Lead Producer GAIL LOUW | Associated Producer HELENA HIPÓLITO for The Playground Theatre | Production Manager HELENA HIPÓLITO | Marketing and PR by HOLLY-ANNE WHITE
When someone casually asked Louise Comb when she turned 60, “I wonder if you might have ADHD?” — she didn’t realise her world was about to be turned upside down. That seemingly small moment sparked a journey of self-discovery, understanding, and ultimately, artistic expression.
Three years later, with an official ADHD diagnosis in hand, Louise found herself re-evaluating her entire life — every struggle, every misunderstood moment, every perceived flaw. What emerged from this journey was not just personal insight, but an urgent need to share what she had discovered.
Award-winning playwright Gail Louw is Louise’s former lecturer, long-time friend of nearly 40 years, and Matron of Honour at her wedding. Although Gail knew about Louise’s late diagnosis, it wasn’t until most recently that she truly grasped the depth of her friend’s experience. Gail suggested they write a play together based on Louise’s experience — and Louise jumped at the chance. She poured her life into pages and pages of memories, reflections and raw honesty, and sent them all to Gail. What followed was a powerful creative collaboration. Gail shaped these into a compelling theatrical narrative and together, they’ve created something that is both deeply personal and universally resonant.
“ADHD? WTF is ADHD!” is a bold, funny, raw, and deeply personal theatrical work. It tells the story of a woman who lived decades feeling ‘different’, only to find out the reason why — and the extraordinary liberation that can follow such a revelation. With sharp wit and unflinching honesty, the play invites audiences to reflect on identity, neurodiversity, late diagnosis, and what it means to truly understand yourself.
BOOKING INFORMATION
PREVIEW: WED 28th MAY | 7.30PM
PRESS NIGHT/OPENING NIGHT: THU 29th MAY | 7:30PM
Friday | 7.30PM
Saturday Matinee 3PM | Evening 7:30PM
Sunday 4PM
Duration: 65 mins
Interval: n/a
Content Warnings:
Accessibility: n/a
Recommended for: 14+
Tickets (Unreserved)
General Admission: £20
Senior 60+ Concession: £16
Unemployed/Under 30/Student: £12
Access for All: £16 (reserved)
Preview Tickets : £14
Access for All Note: Please contact boxoffice@theplaygroundtheatre.org.uk for your complementary ticket for a career/companion/friend
CAST | CREATIVE | PRODUCTION
Performed by EMMA WILKINSON WRIGHT
Writer GAIL LOUW and LOUISE COMB
Director ANTHONY SHRUBSALL
Video mapping by HELENA HIPÓLITO
Technical Designer and Stage Manager MAY BUCILLIAT
ANTHONY SHRUBSALL | DIRECTOR
Anthony Shrubsall is a freelance director, founder member of And Tomorrow Theatre Company and the Entire Theatre Company and former academic. Theatre direction includes: The Last Days of Liz Truss, Synchronicity (The White Bear Theatre) Four Funerals and a Wedding (The Bread and Roses Theatre) Storming, Rika’s Rooms (The Playground Theatre) OFFCOMM award, The Only White (The Chelsea Theatre) Lear Alone (The Space, Edinburgh) Off West End Award ONCOMM winner 2022 and winner Best Director for SceneSaver Awards 2022. Power Luncheon, The Good Dad (The Hope Theatre) OFFCOMM nomination Best Director, A Boy Called Porro (Pleasance Theatre), Edred The Vampyre (Old Red Lion Theatre), An Absence Of (Old Court, Windsor) winner of the Kenneth Branagh New Writers Award, It's a Wonderful Life: A Live Radio Play (0ld Joint Stock Theatre, Birmingham) Death of a Hunter (Finborough Theatre) ONCOMM nominee, The Gin Chronicles series (ArtsSpace Edinburgh), Orbits (Drayton Arms Theatre), Orbits (Drayton Arms Theatre), RealLife TV (Barons Court Theatre) Saffron Hill ( Pleasance Theatre), LANZA (Kings Head Theatre) The Seagull (Tabard Theatre), Zena Edwards's Security (Battersea Arts Centre) the first UK production selected for Tadashe Suzuki's Shizuoka Festival, Japan, and Richard Tyrone Jones’s Big Heart, adapted into a series for BBC Radio 4. He has directed two short cross disciplinary promotional films of Shakespeare works Macbeth with Terry Deary, author of the Horrible Histories and Romeo and Juliet with Tate Modern. He was formerly Artistic Director of OPEN Ealing Arts Centre and the Drayton Court Theatre, where productions included The Bullet, Landscape, The Lover and Mojo.
He is a judge at this year's English Speaking Union Shakespeare Competition at The Globe theatre.
EMMA WILKINSON WRIGHT | Performer
Emma Wilkinson Wright is a British born, half-Roma actor. She is Artistic Director of twice Off West End award-nominated Oxia Theatre. She was nominated for the Standing Ovation Theatre Award from London Pub Theatres last month for her performance as Liz Truss in THE LAST DAYS OF LIZ TRUSS? at The White Bear Theatre. She performs Mark Ravenhill’s new Commedia plays at Wiltons Music Hall on May 9th/10th. Alongside her 5-star rated one-woman show RIKA’S ROOMS in 2024 (OffCOMM nomination, Best Short Run Show), she features in BBC Radio 4’s ASSISTED alongside Tamsin Greig and Jude Owusu. She also plays Irene Ward in the current NOW TV/SKY Series THE LOST WOMEN SPIES.
Other theatre includes: A.L.I.C.E in THE ADAM ERROR (White Bear Theatre, 2024); Billie in THE MORAL WOMEN (Hen and Chickens Theatre, 2024); Vermandera in THE CHANGELING (Southwark Playhouse, 2023); The Mitford Sisters in THE MITFORDS (Playground Theatre and EdFringe 2023, OffFEST Nom); Helen Reed in SECRET THOUGHTS (Omnibus Theatre, 2023); Adelaine Hain in THE ONLY WHITE (Chelsea Theatre, 2023); JS in NECESSARY TARGETS (Southwark Playhouse, 2022); Hazel in PATTERNS (Leicester Curve, 2022); Trish in MEAL WITH FRIENDS (The White Bear Theatre, 2022); Connie in ASSISTED for EdFringe 2022 (BBC Writers Room Popcorn Nomination and Mervyn Stutters Pick off the Fringe); Woman in TINY CAMEL (Finborough Theatre, 2021); Mother in The THE AFTER DINNER JOKE (Greenwich Theatre, 2021); Tina in HIDDEN (Vaults Festival, 2020); Jacques in AS YOU LIKE IT (Monobox with Owen Horsley, 2020); Agave in THE BACCHAE (RADA Studios, 2019); Yves in THE CHANGELING (GBS Theatre, 2019); Clytemnestra in IPHIGENIA IN AULIS (The Cockpit Theatre, 2019); and Celia Cain in HER NAKED SKIN (John Lyons Theatre, 2018). VO work includes: Sheila in ALL MY TOMORROWS and Christina Rossetti in ROSSETTI (Audible).
She trained at RADA and is represented by Robert Fucilla at Imperial Artists Agency @emmamaywright (x) / @emmamaiwright (insta)
LOUISE COMB | Co-Writer
Louise Comb is a dynamic 64-year-old self-employed T-shirt designer and printer, proudly running her own creative business from the comfort of her home.
Originally hailing from London, Louise's journey took a romantic turn when she met her husband, Brian, in Sussex. The two married in 1990, building a life rooted in love, laughter, and shared adventures. In 2012, they made the move to the picturesque seaside town of Bridlington, Yorkshire, where Louise continues to pour her energy into her work and passions.
A true creative spirit, Louise has a lifelong love of writing, with a particular flair for humour and political commentary. She is also a keen stand-up comedy enthusiast, a devoted music lover, an avid competition entrant, and a proud Chelsea FC supporter. Her vibrant personality and passion for life shine through in everything she does — whether she's designing a T-shirt, crafting a punchline, or cheering on her beloved Blues.
GAIL LOUW | Co-Writer/Lead Producer
Gail Louw, an award-winning playwright, has had 20 of her plays produced, with 13 published in three collections by Oberon Books. She is globally recognised for her monologues and her plays, inspired by real events, often centre on flawed characters. Her most renowned work, Blonde Poison, showcased in this season, has enjoyed eight productions worldwide, including performances at the Sydney Opera House, in LA, and Berlin. This play won the Argus Angel award for Artistic Excellence at the Brighton Festival. Duwayne was honoured as the Best New Play at the Brighton Festival. Her other works, And This is My Friend Mr Laurel and Shackleton’s Carpenter, have toured extensively.
Gail was born into a Jewish family in South Africa and lived in Israel before moving to the UK in 1976. Once an academic and lecturer, she has focused on playwriting for the last 24 years. The death of her maternal grandparents in a concentration camp and the rich culture of her upbringing have significantly influenced her life. Her earliest plays consistently explored Jewish themes, particularly those related to her mother and aunt. Louw's body of work is politically charged, highlighting recurring social injustices, post-colonialism, and racial issues like apartheid and anti-Semitism.