Please Do Not Touch at Leeds Playhouse

Please Do Not Touch, a one-man show at Leeds Playhouse follows Mason, a young social justice TikToker seeking to expose the hidden histories and true stories behind the artefacts in our museum cases and heritage houses.

Mason’s mission is simple, at first. He sets out to confront the stories behind dusty objects and reveal how colonial power has reworked and reshaped them for polite society. Following an incident involving a Somali Afro comb, Mason’s activism takes a turn, becoming something far more personal. He is arrested and incarcerated in a Young Offender Institution for a crime he did not commit.

The show grew out of Casey Bailey’s acclaimed poetry collection of the same name, and the language used reflects this. Dialogue is rhythmic, pulsing on an almost imperceptible beat throughout the performance. The story is pulled forward by Mason’s expressive inner monologue. His words are urgent, sharp and unwavering in their critique of myths about heritage, ownership and freedom of speech.

Alone in his cell, Mason uses poetry and present reflection to survive his new environment. Being imprisoned compels him to come face to face with the very forces he once challenged from the outside. The result is theatre that feels both intimate and intrusive.

As the narrative unfolds, Mason and the audience are confronted with the weight of contested artefacts, the justice system and the vulnerability of youth when the world they grow up in has been shaped by institutions rather than discovered freely.

Directed by Gail Babb, Please Do Not Touch tackles this complex theme by letting Mason’s voice carry both the most provoking and the most tender moments of the show. This performance asks audiences not just to witness a story, but to think about what it means to document our shared history and protect it, and to tell the truth about the past.