Roberto Gerhard’s score for Bridget Boland’s ‘The Prisoner’ was both Gerhard’s first electronic music score, and the first such score in Britain. The play tells the story of the arrest of a Roman Catholic cardinal and, through prolonged physical and psychological torture, is compelled to confess his sin of pride. Directed by Peter Glenville and starring Alec Guinness, the play premiered at the Lyceum Theatre, Edinburgh before moving to the Globe Theatre six weeks later.

‘The Prisoner’ was the only non-RSC play that Gerhard was involved with. His involvement with the project was a spot of entrepreneurial inspiration on his part where, after attending a performance of the play, Gerhard approached Boland with a proposal to write music for the production. Sadly, not much more is known about Gerhard’s composition for the production, and audio recordings of soundtrack for ‘The Prisoner’ have yet to be uncovered.