London Theatre | 16 – 27 February 2027
Latency is a gripping new contemporary thriller by David Heal, coming to the White Bear Theatre in Kennington in February. It explores loneliness, online radicalisation and artificial intelligence, and asks how much responsibility we bear for actions carried out at the click of a button.
Here are five reasons to book.
1. A lonely hero in a digital world
Joe is a lonely live streamer and self-styled digital vigilante who spends his nights exposing online scammers to a tiny audience, mostly his devoted followers and his mum. When a mysterious figure called Kiber appears in his stream and shows off seemingly impossible technological power, Joe is drawn into a series of cyber challenges that seem harmless at first. For someone who has spent years isolated behind a screen, the offer of money, purpose and companionship is hard to resist.
2. A story about AI that feels urgent
As Kiber’s influence grows, Joe is given increasingly advanced technology designed to reduce “latency”, the delay between action and prediction, bringing an AI system closer to anticipating human behaviour in real time. When global events start to mirror his actions, Joe has to face the possibility that he’s become a pawn in something much bigger. With AI in the headlines every day, it feels unsettlingly relevant.
3. Part psychological drama, part techno-thriller
Latency looks at the hidden costs of life online: algorithmic manipulation, misinformation, digital surveillance, and the vulnerability of people searching for belonging in virtual spaces. As Joe’s past resurfaces and the line between gamer and combatant blurs, he must decide whether to resist the system that has exploited him or give in to it completely.
4. From a proven fringe team
It’s directed by Claire Evans, designed by Steve Caplin, and produced by LAMBCO Productions, the company behind The Patron Saint of Soho, which also plays the White Bear this winter. The White Bear is one of south London’s most respected pub theatres, and an intimate space suits a tense, claustrophobic story like this.
5. Early bird prices
Early bird tickets are £16.50 to £21 plus booking fees, so it’s good value to book now. The play is for ages 14+ and deals with difficult themes, including disturbing war imagery, sexual content, extremist material and psychological distress, so check the full content warnings before booking.
Tickets and info
Latency
White Bear Theatre, 138 Kennington Park Road, London SE11 4DJ
Tuesday 16 – Saturday 27 February 2027
Tuesday to Saturday 7.30pm | Sunday 4pm
Early bird tickets £16.50 – £21 (plus booking fees) | Age 14+
Nearest station: Kennington