An actor arrives late at a sound studio for a last-minute job that he is yet to see the script for: an audiobook recording of a particularly chilling ghost story. But as the evening progresses, the horrors start to escape the pages of the story, and haunt the studio itself...
A Ghost In Your Ear is the new play from Jamie Armitage, the writer/director of 2025 sell-out hit An Interrogation. Made in collaboration with Ben and Max Ringham (ANNA, National Theatre and Blindness, Donmar Warehouse).
Using binaural sound technology, the audience wears headphones so they are immersed in the terrifying auditory world of the show.
Health warning: this play is intentionally looking to scare its audience. If you are of a nervous disposition, then caution is advised…
We caught up with writer Jamie Armitage to learn more.
Your new play ‘A Ghost In Your Ear’ promises auditory immersion via binaural sound. What drew you to focus on audio in this work?
I’ve long been fascinated by the potential for audio immersion to terrify audience. When the audience are wearing headphones, it means they can experience someone whispering softly into their ear, even though the actor is metres away from them and behind a perspex wall. I loved the potential for this to create an unsettling piece of theatre where the lines of reality and what we hear can be blurred.
I’ve long been fascinated by the potential for audio immersion to terrify audience. When the audience are wearing headphones, it means they can experience someone whispering softly into their ear, even though the actor is metres away from them and behind a perspex wall. I loved the potential for this to create an unsettling piece of theatre where the lines of reality and what we hear can be blurred.
How would you advise audiences to mentally prepare for ‘A Ghost In Your Ear’?
You will have a thrill as you experience something unusual and unexpected. What I’ve said to all my friends who are not horror fans, you can always take the headphones off and the voices disappear. But what’s interesting is very few do as the story grips them and they’re surprised at how fun it is to be scared!
How has the audience feedback been so far? Have there been any notable or surprising reactions?
The audience reactions have been electric. There have been screams and strangers holding each other in fear. Yet my favourite thing is that after every big scare, there are always giggles too as the audiences laugh at their own fearful reactions.
The audience reactions have been electric. There have been screams and strangers holding each other in fear. Yet my favourite thing is that after every big scare, there are always giggles too as the audiences laugh at their own fearful reactions.
What interests you about the horror genre? Are there any works that have been significant to you or that have particularly inspired you?
Horror is so theatrical as it gives strangers a communal emotional experience. No other art form does that as brilliantly as theatre. Fear is a contagious emotion, so the horror is more intense and more fun as every audience member feels it together.
Horror is so theatrical as it gives strangers a communal emotional experience. No other art form does that as brilliantly as theatre. Fear is a contagious emotion, so the horror is more intense and more fun as every audience member feels it together.
What excites you about working with sound designers Ben and Max Ringham?
Ben and Max Ringham are truly world-leading in sound design for theatre. To work with creatives who are the top of their field is a real privilege. Yet what I especially love about Ben & Max is their playfulness and willingness to experiment. They really responded to a project where the sound design was woven into the very fabric of the story.
On a human level, what is it like collaborating with two brothers who have worked together for over two decades?
They actually make the collaboration very straightforward as you primarily work with one of them and the other supports. Yet when they are both in the room, it’s great to see them in action as they just spark off each other so quickly, so intensely because of the depth of their connection as both collaborators and brothers.
They actually make the collaboration very straightforward as you primarily work with one of them and the other supports. Yet when they are both in the room, it’s great to see them in action as they just spark off each other so quickly, so intensely because of the depth of their connection as both collaborators and brothers.
Do you think that theatre (other than musicals) emphasises visual spectacle to the detriment of elements such as sound design?
I feel sound design sometimes gets forgotten because, unlike set or lights, it’s not visible. Yet every director I really respect always integrates sound design in brilliant and unexpected ways to create a more total theatrical experience for the audience. To not do so is like leaving one of the most interesting tools in your theatrical toolbox.
I feel sound design sometimes gets forgotten because, unlike set or lights, it’s not visible. Yet every director I really respect always integrates sound design in brilliant and unexpected ways to create a more total theatrical experience for the audience. To not do so is like leaving one of the most interesting tools in your theatrical toolbox.
You’ve worked at brilliant, innovative theatres including the Bridge Theatre and the Almeida Theatre. What have you been most proud of in your time at these theatres?
Learning from phenomenal artists like Nick Hytner and Rupert Goold. When I assisted on The Hunt at the Almeida, I loved seeing the complexities of an Es Devlin set-design up close. It was a glass house made of that magic material than can flick between opaque and clear, and witnessing that design come to live was a phenomenal education.
Learning from phenomenal artists like Nick Hytner and Rupert Goold. When I assisted on The Hunt at the Almeida, I loved seeing the complexities of an Es Devlin set-design up close. It was a glass house made of that magic material than can flick between opaque and clear, and witnessing that design come to live was a phenomenal education.
What kinds of innovations do you hope to see developed further in UK theatre?
I feel the measure of the most interesting innovations in theatre always centres on how it is integrated into the show, rather than the technology itself. Live-stream cameras, binaural audio, stage-rain are all much more available than they were ten, fifteen years ago, but the real measure of their success is not just using them or not, but how they enrich the story.
I feel the measure of the most interesting innovations in theatre always centres on how it is integrated into the show, rather than the technology itself. Live-stream cameras, binaural audio, stage-rain are all much more available than they were ten, fifteen years ago, but the real measure of their success is not just using them or not, but how they enrich the story.
Do you think theatremakers in the UK feel able to take creative risks? Why or why not?
I feel it’s a difficult bind, as the best work always comes from some form of risk and creating a show which people didn’t know they wanted to see. Yet if the risk backfires, then it may jeopardise a theatremaker’s chance of getting their next job. Yet I always much prefer to see someone aim for something innovative and possibly miss, then to just play it safe…
I feel it’s a difficult bind, as the best work always comes from some form of risk and creating a show which people didn’t know they wanted to see. Yet if the risk backfires, then it may jeopardise a theatremaker’s chance of getting their next job. Yet I always much prefer to see someone aim for something innovative and possibly miss, then to just play it safe…
Christmas has long been associated with spooky stories. Why do you think audiences should see something that scares them this festive season?
One audience member described A Ghost In Your Ear as ‘the perfect antidote to Christmas cheer!’ which may not be appealing for everyone, but made me chuckle. I think it’s good to remember that Christmas is not just twinkly lights and tinsel. There is a long tradition of telling spooky stories during the long nights as a way of bringing us closer together, so I’m very proud to have made a show which keeps this convention going!
One audience member described A Ghost In Your Ear as ‘the perfect antidote to Christmas cheer!’ which may not be appealing for everyone, but made me chuckle. I think it’s good to remember that Christmas is not just twinkly lights and tinsel. There is a long tradition of telling spooky stories during the long nights as a way of bringing us closer together, so I’m very proud to have made a show which keeps this convention going!
A Ghost In Your Ear runs at the Hampstead Theatre until 31st January 2026. Tickets are available from https://www.hampsteadtheatre.com/whats-on/2025/a-ghost-in-your-ear/
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