Lungs By Duncan Macmillan Fix May 2026

Because the stage is empty, the actors have to build the entire world with their words and breath. They simulate sex, push imaginary trolleys, and age decades in a single blackout.

M (the man) does the math out loud. He calculates the carbon footprint of a single human life. He counts the flights, the plastic nappies, the energy consumption. He spirals: “Having a child is the single worst thing you can do for the planet.” lungs by duncan macmillan

Duncan Macmillan has written a play for our age of anxiety. It is small in scale (two people, no props) but infinite in scope (the entire future of the human race). Because the stage is empty, the actors have

Go see it. But bring tissues. And maybe a Xanax. Have you seen or read Lungs ? What did you think of the ending? Let me know in the comments below. He calculates the carbon footprint of a single human life