Durham Fringe Festival 2026
Low Down
INFESTATION Set in the English countryside in early winter of 1916, the performance lasts approximately 60 minutes and follows Dorothy as she receives news that her husband James has been injured at the front and is being honourably discharged. When James arrives home, Dorothy begins to notice changes in him. As strange happenings unfold, she starts to question whether the man who has returned is really her husband at all or whether this figure is actually a devilish mimic.
Review
Dorothy’s husband returns home from the front line, and with him comes something unspoken and deeply unsettling. Durham Student Theatre’s production of INFESTATION explores what happens when someone changes in ways we can’t quite understand, and this piece doesn’t offer easy answers.
This isn’t a play that uses big theatrical moments to tell its story. Instead, it shows how trauma quietly affects a relationship, changing the everyday moments between two people. The production doesn’t make this comfortable to watch, it’s honest, and that’s exactly why it works.
The cast get this balance right in a way that is genuinely impressive. There’s real affection between the performers, but there’s also a growing sense of distance and unease. You feel Dorothy’s pain as she tries to make sense of what’s happening to her husband, and you feel James’ hurt and anguish upon his return home. The actors don’t play these emotions loudly or demand your sympathy; they simply let you see it. You’re watching two people navigate something they don’t fully understand with the support of friends, and it feels genuine. The two lead actors playing James and Dorothy know how to show disconnection through small details: a response that doesn’t quite fit the question, the hesitation before reaching out. These small moments are where the real power lies, and they’re done with real skill.
What stands out is the restraint. This material could easily become overdramatic or rely on heavy-handed symbolism. Instead, the director has chosen to keep showing us the love and care between the characters even as the gap between them widens. You believe they have history together, which makes what’s happening to them hurt more. This is the kind of work that demands real maturity from young performers, and Durham Student Theatre clearly has it.
The writing also trusts its audience with silence and small moments rather than spelling things out. The dialogue feels natural rather than theatrical, which is part of what makes the emotion feel genuine.
The production design is very well done. The lighting is the standout element. It works as part of the storytelling and not just to show us the stage. It creates both the grey feeling of wartime and the unease that builds through the story. The period details work well too. The music they’ve chosen is from the right era and it grounds you immediately in 1916.
The set and props are kept deliberately simple. The multi-level staging and minimal decoration means everything focuses on the actors and what they’re doing. This production trusts its performers and is well grounded in its writing. Nothing in the set design feels unnecessary.
There is one technical issue worth mentioning, especially in a venue like the Assembly Rooms with its deep stage and even deeper 159 seat auditorium. The actors’ voices don’t always carry all the way to the back rows, particularly in the quieter scenes. This means some of the more intimate moments lose their impact for people sitting further back. Using fitted microphones would fix this without ruining the closeness of these scenes. It’s a straightforward solution that would make an already strong production even stronger.
What Durham Student Theatre has done here matters. This is theatre that doesn’t look away from a difficult subject. and it doesn’t treat its audience like they need things spelling out. This is definitely a show worth seeing.
