Outpatient

It occurs to me that my early death could be
Not the worst thing for my career.

Outpatient follows Olive, a self-obsessed entertainment journalist who sets out to make her name interviewing dying people, only to discover that she is also living on borrowed time...

No one (including Olive) knows how to handle this bombshell. Her doctor has nothing. Her girlfriend wants to cure her with herbs. And her parents would really rather not talk about it. Olive resolves to embrace what little time she has left. She’ll sever all ties with her girlfriend, throw herself into her work, and audition for a reality singing competition - all in the name of freedom and making an impact.

But is this freedom? It’s not clear.

This edition of Outpatient was published to coincide with the production at Park Theatre in May-June 2025.

Harriet Madeley is a writer, producer and performer for stage, screen and radio.

The Spectator said of her debut play THE LISTENING ROOM ＂You emerge with your consciousness altered, your conception of human beings elevated and amplified＂. THE LISTENING ROOM transferred from the Old Red Lion to Stratford East and has since been performed at the National Theatre, The Lowry, Theatre Clwyd, Northern Stage and in prisons & psychiatric institutions across the UK. A radio adaptation was created with BBC Radio 4 and nominated for an ARIA in 2020.

Harriet’s most recent radio drama THE OTHER TCHAIKOVSKY was shortlisted for a BBC Audio Drama Award in 2021 & a 90 minute film adaptation is now in development with BBC2.

Harriet’s first solo show OUTPATIENT premiered at the Edinburgh Festival in 2024 and won the Summerhall Lustrum Award for Unforgettable Theatre.

Harriet is currently developing a number of projects for stage and screen. She runs a theatre company, Crowded Room, with whom she was shortlisted for the Oxford Samuel Beckett Theatre Trust Award at the Barbican.