A China Plate and Belgrade Theatre Co-Production in association with Birmingham Hippodrome

Please Do Not Touch

29th January 2026 - 13th March 2026
By Casey Bailey
BSL interpreted performances Audio described performances

#PDNTPlay

Run time: Approximately 65 minutes

Age: 14+

Content warnings: Contains strong language and a reference to suicide. There are references to racism throughout.

Engagement Resources

A young black man stood under a spotlight, on darkened stage. He is wearing a light grey tracksuit and has braided hair. A vibrant pink hue is shining through the backdrop of the set, which sits behind a bunk bed.

Warwickshire What's On

5 stars

Adventures in Theatreland

5 stars

The Reviews Hub

4 stars

"Please Do Not Touch has a heart and a brain, it is thoughtfully written, sensitively performed and beautifully staged. Recommended."

British Theatre Guide

A young black man sat on top of a bunk bed, with his face in his hands.

Please Do Not Touch

Written by Casey Bailey
Directed by Gail Babb

“They will tell you that legal and illegal are the same as right and wrong. And I’ve told you that you only have to sit still for a moment and watch the pieces move to see what a lie that is.”

Written by former Birmingham Poet Laureate Casey Bailey (GrimeBoy, Birmingham Rep) and directed by award-winning theatre maker, Gail Babb (Stars, Tamasha – OFFIE’S Best New Play 2024), Please Do Not Touch is a co-production between China Plate and Belgrade Theatre in association with Birmingham Hippodrome. Following a successful premiere and run in Coventry in 2024, Selorm Adonu stepped into the role of Mason for the remount and first national tour in Spring 2026.

An extension of Casey’s poetry collection of the same name, Please Do Not Touch follows the story of Mason, an activist who explores historic houses on TikTok to uncover the true stories behind the objects that lie within. After an incident with a Somali Afro comb, he is wrongly imprisoned in a Young Offender Institution.

Can he find a way to survive this ordeal and navigate how to keep speaking up when everything is designed to silence him?

This show asks important questions about colonial legacy, contested heritage and how stories are told, whilst shining a light on the criminal justice system.

★★★★★ “Bailey’s gift for the written – and spoken – word is evident throughout the play, and the moments when poetry comes to the foreground align with moments of freedom, joy and power in Mason’s story.” – Warwickshire What’s On

“One of Birmingham’s best and brightest voices.” – Vanessa Kisuule

“This play is a testament to the art of storytelling, a celebration of the human condition, and a reminder of the transformative power of theatre.” – Big City Radio

Interested in hearing more about Please Do Not Touch? Writer Casey Bailey and producer Jade Samuels recorded an episode for The Belgrade Pod; unpacking the show and its themes – you can listen via Spotify or Podbean. You can also read an exclusive interview with Selorm Adonu by A Young(ish) Perspective.

Supported using public funding by the National Lottery through Arts Council England.

Photo © Hayley Salter

Alongside staff and volunteers at the National Trust, young people were involved in the development of Casey’s play right from the beginning – school pupils, youth groups in North Birmingham where Casey grew up, and young black men in prison. We continued to engage young people when we first performed the play at the Belgrade Theatre in 2024 – as audiences, as workshop participants and as creators of their own response to the play and its themes.

We were so inspired by young people’s responses, that we wanted to offer a set of digital resources aimed at deepening young people engagement with the play as it tours the country. Aimed at school years 9 and 10 (12-15 year-olds) they can be used by teachers or youth group leaders to prepare young people for seeing the show, offer activities to explore the show’s themes and signpost places where they can find out more information.

Visit our blog to access these digital resources: https://bit.ly/PDNTResources

If you would be interested in bringing Please Do Not Touch to your venue/space or programme, please contact our Associate Producer Jade Samuels on [email protected]. For more information, we have a tour pack which can be downloaded below.