On Friday, 25th January 1878, the Essex Standard reported that an amateur production of Byron’s well-known burlesque extravaganza, ‘Aladdin or the Wonderful Scamp’, had been performed in front of a lively and appreciative audience. What made this performance ‘noteworthy’ was that the theatre was within the Essex County Pauper Lunatic Asylum and the audience, who happily sat together, consisted of an assortment of ‘principal families of the neighbourhood’ and pauper patients. Yet, Victorian asylums have a reputation for being ‘snake pits’ or ‘bins’ where patients were hidden away from society. This fascinating talk will challenge this idea by demonstrating that theatrical performances were a regular and much-loved part of asylum life. The medical superintendent, assistant medical officers, asylum staff, and their families would dress up, put on face paint, and perform on stage throughout the winter months. These performances helped alleviate the monotony of asylum life and garnered much-needed support for the asylum within the community. Theatricals were also essential to the patient’s therapeutic care and served as a means for medical officers to assess whether a patient was on the road to recovery.