Horror shaped by real conversations and experiences
Tanya-Loretta Dee’s debut play Loop is a bold fusion of folk tale and horror. A surreal one-woman fever dream, it’s a love story that dives headfirst into obsessive desire, limerence, and the intoxicating pull of fantasy over reality.
Tanya-Loretta Dee is an acclaimed actor now making her mark as a writer with this daring and distinctive solo work. As a writer, she has been commissioned by Futures Theatre and Small Truth Theatre, and joins the Royal Court Writers’ Group in early 2026.
Bex is f**king obsessed! She can’t get James out of her head. In the Peckham party shop where she twists balloon animals for minimum wage, all she can think about is him.
The locket her Mother gave to her – the day she started her period – clings like a curse, whispering warnings that Bex constantly ignores. As her grip on reality unravels, Bex circles the same stories about wolves, witches and wanking, each one darker than the last. Will she ever break the loop? Or will she disappear into fantasy forever? LOOP is a chilling psychological folktale that drags us kicking and screaming into the horrors of an obsessive mind. What happens when you can’t tell yourself the truth? What happens when the story threatens to swallow you whole?
Tanya-Loretta Dee: “I wrote Loop as a way of exploring the thin line between obsession and love – or what we often mistake for love. I’ve always been fascinated by the mind’s inner workings, especially the moments when familiar patterns crack and we catch glimpses of the raw truths we usually keep hidden.
“My interest in limerence and infatuation kept leading me back to horror and folklore – those old cautionary tales where desire and danger are intertwined. That kind of longing feels ancient, living in the eerie space between reality and imagination.
“At its core, Loop is about trusting our intuition and releasing the guilt and shame around intrusive thoughts. Writing it helped me find compassion for parts of myself I once tried to bury and – while Bex’s story is fictional – it’s shaped by real conversations and shared experiences. I’m excited to finally bring it to an audience.”
Sophie Ellerby is a director, writer and dramaturg. Her career began as an actor at fifteen, starring in This is England (Shane Meadows). Growing up in the East Midlands, she trained at the infamous Nottingham Television Workshop.
At Theatre503, Above the Latchmere, 503 Battersea Park Road, SW11 3BW from 10 – 29 November 2025
Booking and full details: www.theatre503.com
