The Fifth Step

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Step 1: honesty.
Step 2: faith.
Step 3: surrender.
Step 4: self-examination.

After many years in the 12-step programme of Alcoholics Anonymous, James agrees to become the sponsor of newcomer Luka.

On the journey to sobriety, the pair bond over black coffee, trade stories, and build a fragile friendship out of their shared experiences.

On the cusp of Step 5, their conversations must turn to confessionals, with progress hinging on Luka revealing secrets that could lead back to alcohol. But it’s clear that James also has dangerous truths in his past, truths that threaten the trust on which both their recoveries depend.

Following an acclaimed sold-out Edinburgh season, Olivier Award-winner Jack Lowden (Slow Horses, Dunkirk) reprises his role as Luka joined in the West End by Emmy, BAFTA and SAG Award winner Martin Freeman (The Responder, Sherlock) as James.

Directed intimately in-the-round by Finn den HertogThe Fifth Step is a provocative, entertaining and subversively funny new play from David Ireland.

Performance Dates

Monday 12 May – Saturday 26 July, 2025

Tickets From

£25

Running Time

90mins, no interval

Age Guidance

16+

Content Warning

Contains strong language, comments on religion and sexual themes

Jack Lowden

Luka

Jack Lowden is an acclaimed Scottish actor who trained at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland. He first worked with National Theatre of Scotland early in his career, when he took on the lead role of Cammy in the 2010-11 revival tour of the Olivier-award winning play Black Watch.

 

He has won numerous awards including BAFTA Scotland awards for Best Actor in British film Calibre and for his role as Siegfried Sassoon in Benediction, and an Olivier Award for Best Supporting Actor in Ghosts at The Almeida. He has appeared in many films including Fighting With My FamilyMary Queen of Scots and Dunkirk.

 

TV shows include his breakout role in BBC’s War and Peace, and most recently BBC’s The Gold and Apple TV’s Slow Horses.

 

He previously worked with National Theatre of Scotland in 2020, in Janey Godley’s short film Alone II, part of the Scenes for Survival series created in lockdown. His other stage work includes Chariots of Fire (Hampstead and Gielgud Theatres), Electra (Old Vic) and most recently Measure for Measure at the Donmar Warehouse.

Martin Freeman

James

Martin Freeman is an Emmy and BAFTA award-winning actor with an illustrious career spanning film, television and stage. His versatility and ability to excel in his craft, regardless of the genre, have led him to be considered as one of the industry’s most revered talents.

 

Martin recently reprised his BAFTA TV ‘Leading Actor’ nominated role as police officer Chris in the critically acclaimed BBC drama The Responder for BBC, for which he won an International Emmy for Best Actor in 2024.

 

Other television credits include upcoming The Seven Dials Mystery for Netflix, four seasons of Breeders for FX/Sky, ITV 6 part drama A ConfessionStart Up for Crackle and most notably BBC’s Sherlock, for which Martin won Best Supporting Actor at both BAFTA TV and Emmy awards; the award-winning Coen brothers’ television adaptation of Fargo, garnering nominations for Best Actor at the Golden Globe, Emmy and Critics Choice Awards for his role as ‘Lester Nygaard’; and British cult hit show The Office, for which he was BAFTA nominated for Best Comedy Performance.

 

Martin’s film credits are extensive and he has appeared in many blockbuster hits such as Marvel’s Black PantherBlack Panther: Wakanda Forever and Captain America: Civil War as agent ‘Everett Ross’; Peter Jackson’s The Hobbit trilogy playing ‘Bilbo Baggins’ and and as lead ‘Arthur Dent’ in The Hitchhikers’ Guide to the Galaxy. Recent film projects include director Jamie Adams’ independent film Let’s Love, fantasy novel adaptation Momo from RatPack/Constantin Film and family film Flavia for Sky.

 

Martin’s stage credits include: Dumb Waiter as part of the ‘Pinter at the Pinter’ season, presented by The Jamie Lloyd Company, James Graham’s comedy Labour of Love at the Noel Coward Theatre, Jamie Lloyd’s Richard III at Trafalgar Studios, Clybourne Park and Kosher Harry at the Royal Court Theatre and Blue Eyes & Heels at the Soho Theatre.

Joseph Ayre

Understudy Luka

Joseph was born in Hull and trained at East 15 Acting school. His theatre credits include ‘£1 Thursdays’ at the Finborough theatre, ‘One Punch’ for the John Godber Theatre Company and the National Theatre’s production of ‘The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time’ in the West End. His TV credits include ‘Gandhi Before India’ & ‘Hijack’ series 2 and he has appeared in over 40 audio drama productions for the BBC.

Jo Rawlinson-Hunt

Understudy James

Joe Rawlinson-Hunt is an actor, singer and voiceover artist. He trained on the W1 Workshops Advanced Process and Performance Course, with productions including Radiant Vermin. Joe most recently appeared in Jamie Lloyd’s The Tempest (Theatre Royal, Drury Lane). His other theatre credits include; The Ocean at the End of the Lane (West End & UK Tour) and The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time (UK Tour), both for the National Theatre. As a voiceover artist, he has worked with many clients all over the world and has recently recorded an undisclosed project with Marvel.

David Ireland

Playright

Finn den Hertog

Director

Milla Clarke

Set & Costume Design

Lizzie Powell

Lighting Design

Mark Melville

Sound Design and Composer

Jenny Ogilvie

Movement

Stuart Burt CDG

Casting

Bret Yount

Fight Director

Chris Hay

Production Manager

Katherine Nesbitt

Associate Director

Emeline Beroud

Associate Set & Costume Designer

Karin Anderson

Associate Lighting Designer

Heidi Bryan

Costume Supervisor

Katie Balmforth

Props Supervisor

Katie McDowell

Company Stage Manager

Vicki Mackenzie

Deputy Stage Manager

Philip Doherty

Assistant Stage Manager

Jordan Colls

Head of Wardrobe

Alise Kennedy

Wardrobe Assistant

Access performances at Nimax Theatres are now available to purchase online. You can purchase up to two tickets online for the below performances. 

Access Seating:

For all performances, you can select up to two seats at our discounted access rate of 50% off per person. These include:

  • Wheelchair park and companion seats
  • End-of-aisle seating
  • Central row seating

If you’ll remain in your wheelchair choose wheelchair spaces. For all other access requriements including transferring, choose access tickets.



To make a wheelchair transfer booking, purchase more than two tickets or to discuss your seating requirements further, please contact our Access team on 0330 333 4815 or [email protected].

@sohoplace

4 Soho Place, Charing Cross Rd, London, W1D 3BG

@sohoplace

4 Soho Place, Charing Cross Rd, London, W1D 3BG

Performance Dates

Monday 12 May – Saturday 26 July, 2025

Tickets From

£25

Running Time

90mins, no interval

Age Guidance

16+

Content Warning

Contains strong language, comments on religion and sexual themes