Open Daily: 10am - 10pm | Alley door pickup 10am - 7pm 3038 Hennepin Ave Minneapolis, MN
612-822-4611

  • Open Daily: 10am - 10pm
    Alley-side Pickup: 10am - 7pm

    3038 Hennepin Ave Minneapolis, MN
    612-822-4611

Open Daily: 10am - 10pm | Alley-side Pickup: 10am - 7pm
3038 Hennepin Ave Minneapolis, MN
612-822-4611
The Fifth Step

The Fifth Step

Ireland, David

Paperback

Series: Modern Plays

PlaysPlaywriting

ISBN10: 1350574066
ISBN13: 9781350574069
Publisher: Methuen Drama
Published: Jun 24 2025
Pages: 96
Weight: 0.28
Height: 0.25 Width: 5.06 Depth: 7.81
Language: English

Nominated for Best New Play at the Critics' Circle Theatre Awards 2026

The point is to divest yourself of shame. Anything that'll make you pick up a drink in the future. It's about getting clean.

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.

David Ireland's The Fifth Step is a provocative, entertaining and subversively funny new play.

This revised and updated edition was published to coincide with the @sohoplace production in May 2025, after its premiere at the Edinburgh International Festival.

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