“A gripping, imaginative journey through space, staged beneath the stars at Jodrell Bank.”
The space-crazed summer of 2026 added another classic sci-fi rescue story to its calendar last week when Tim Foley’s Life Out There opened its doors for one night only at Jodrell Bank.
The audio-only adaptation of the play, which had a successful run at Manchester’s Lowry and Wigan’s The Engine Room earlier this month, shed the stage, set and lights for four microphones, four chairs, and four brilliant actors. The winding pathways around the stunning grounds of Jodrell lead you to a space age auditorium giving the audience a sense of approaching the launch pad.
The story follows four astronauts through space in search of a new home for humanity.
As the crew explore the universe in search of their fleeting blue dot, they are forced to confront very real matters including the birth of a new child, navigating grief, and reconciling fractured familiar relationships. As each character embarks on their own personal journey of self-discovery, their unique approaches create the opportunity for light humor breaks in a heartfelt story.
The crew must not only save their dying planet but also attempt to rescue their missing captain who we meet throughout the story via his AI-double who continues to command the ship. Their mission was clear, but personal matters blur decision making, their mission turning into a spiral of disasters.
The play subtly hints to Earth’s demise due to climate disaster, however Foley keeps the audience in wonder to the true reason our astronauts must find a new home. He invokes this technique throughout the play, encouraging curious sci-fi lovers to fill in the blanks with their own vivid ideas of what monsters might lurk in space or within those who wonder to the beyond.
The lack of set or stage left the actors nowhere to hide, and yet you are transported to a confined ship, hurtling through space thanks to Foley’s imaginative writing. The Jodrell Bank auditorium lends itself to the wonder of space with panoramic scenes of distant solar systems and galaxies passing by overhead.
A packed Q&A after the play revealed a passionate audience in awe of space. The panel consisting of Foley, actor Alastair Michael and Louisa Mason, a third year PhD Student at Jodrell Bank Centre for Astrophysics studying radio technosignatures. A thought provoking discussion dived into the roots behind Foley’s ideas, the world of Astrophysics expertly handled by Mason and Michael was a brilliant emcee.
Life Out There proved that even without a stage, Foley’s story could launch the imagination far beyond the walls of the auditorium.