WHAT IS POOR TOM?Tom O' Bedlam, or poor tom was used in Early Modern Britain and later to describe beggars and vagrants who had or feigned mental illness. They claimed, or were assumed, to have been former inmates at the Bethlehem Royal Hospital (Bedlam). It was commonly thought that inmates were released with authority to make their way by begging. It was adopted as a technique of begging, or a character called a poor tom.

In King Lear, the character Edgar is forced underground and becomes poor tom in order to escape from his evil brother. In his disguise as a poor tom Edgar is able to observe the other characters from a distance; his disguise actually frees him to discover the truth. poor tom productions seeks to find this same truth by putting on disguises and playing out the stories of Shakespeare.

poor tom productions inspires and reinvigorates audiences with productions of clarity, force and beauty.

See pictures of our past productions:
As You Like It, 2007
2Gents, 2008