Red Ladder Theatre Company, The Carriageworks Theatre Company

Britain. 2013. Times are hard, but the money's still out there if you know where to look and are prepared to gamble.

Noel's from a decent background, not rich, but not poor either. He's grown up comfortably, but he's ambitious and he's always wanted more. When Ray, a senior trader at the financial institution they both work for, persuades him that he could have more, he decides that the chance is his for the taking.

But when their activity is exposed, Ray denies all knowledge and Noel ends up facing his worst nightmare: prison. He's been set up and he's the one who takes the fall. Noel has to quickly learn how to cope in a truly brutal environment.

Can Noel manage to stand his ground this time? And what is he going to have to do to make sure that that happens?

A searing new play about power and empathy in a system driven by a free market economy, The Thing About Psychopaths is a timely examination of how empathy is being squeezed out of our society.