This June in Brussels, a quietly radical new play is asking an unexpected question: what happens when two people who see the world completely differently are forced to really listen to each other?
Following its 5-star production of Radiant Vermin last November, The Bridge Theatre, Brussels’ professional English-language theatre, is returning with a new production — 855-FOR-TRUTH, written by English-Irish playwright Eva Hudson, brings together two strangers with radically different worldviews: Meredith, an 18-year-old raised in a doomsday Christian cult, and Isaac, a young climate scientist trying to prevent environmental collapse. She’s convinced the world will end in six days. He’s fighting to save it. What unfolds is a surprising love story — sometimes tense, often funny, and always deeply human.
Set “somewhere in the woods,” the play becomes a moving exploration of belief, truth, and how we talk — and listen — across differences.
Directed by Lydia McKinley, the production runs 2–14 June at The Berger Court in Stassart House, a beautiful and historic former music conservatory. Its faded grandeur reflects the play’s themes of collapse and renewal — an ideal backdrop for an intimate story like this. It’s also a great example of The Bridge Theatre’s signature style: staging contemporary English-language theatre in unexpected, atmospheric spaces across Brussels.
855-FOR-TRUTH is sharp, funny, and unexpectedly heartwarming. It doesn’t set out to solve the world’s problems in 90 minutes — instead, it simply invites us to witness two people trying to understand each other. And maybe, despite everything, falling a little bit in love.
The cast brings this magic world to life. Molly Hanly (recently seen at Ireland’s Abbey Theatre) plays Meredith with warmth and quiet resolve. Opposite her, Max Raphael (The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes – Lionsgate) gives Isaac a sincere vulnerability that makes every moment feel real. Their performances draw you in — like a conversation you might overhear, or even find yourself in.
This isn’t your typical night at the theatre. True to The Bridge Theatre’s mission of connecting Brussels through culture, select performances include Post-Show Talks featuring local guest speakers. These conversations explore the play’s theme — Finding Connection in a Polarised World — and offer space for real conversation about real topics, sparked by fiction.
For Edward McMillan, Artistic Director of The Bridge Theatre, that’s the goal. “It’s a story by young people about young people,” he says. “It’s not about right or wrong — it’s about understanding, and how we move forward together.”
So if you’re looking for something different this June — something thoughtful, moving, and refreshingly down-to-earth — 855-FOR-TRUTH is a show you won’t want to miss.
When and Where?
At Berger Court, Stassart House – Rue du Berger 13, 1050 Brussels.
2 June -14 June. Mondays – Saturdays at 8pm and Saturdays at 3pm.
Tickets: €11 – €38.5
More info and tickets: https://thebridge.brussels/855-for-truth
Recommended for those aged 10 and over. A co-production with Gentlewomen Production House.
