Stressful Emergency Situation
Etcetera Theatre
Floor 87, Office A (disused). Friday. 4:58pm. 5 coworkers. Well, 4 work friends reluctantly following the lead of fire marshal Angie Spratt (authority in title only). It's Angie's world and we're all living in it, and that world is coming to an end (no, really, she says the world is ending). Who can be trusted and what can be lost? And why has Angie packed pyjamas? An absurdist dark comedy, this show is for any office employee who gets a bit of a weird vibe from their coworkers. Maybe you know a sandwich thief, maybe that one person always hogs the good desk, or maybe Rachel from HR is a doomsday predictionist . And if you don't work in an office this show is sure to have you updating your CV immediately to get in on that irresistible workplace drama.
T*TS
The Libra Theatre Cafe
Welcome to the trading room of T.I.T.S, where women are the market. Where their identity is reduced to a bra size, and control is the ultimate commodity. Stockbrokers Nick and Peter thrive in a world built on ego, manipulation, and the illusion of dominance. But when newcomer Tom enters the trading floor, the rules of the game begin to shift—and it becomes difficult to tell the difference between ally and enemy. Brutal, provocative and darkly funny, T*TS crunches the numbers on modern sexism in the age of “wokeness,” exposing the hypocrisy, insecurity and desperation lurking beneath corporate masculinity. “We aren’t just selling tits... we’re selling dominance. We’re letting them be God in exchange for a tiny fee.” Originally developed and performed at Guildford School of Acting, T*TS returns reimagined for Camden Fringe 2026.
Belated
Etcetera Theatre
Save the date! It’s Anna’s 50th birthday, and it’s going to be grand. Only problem is... it’s a year late. A former professional dancer turned Pilates instructor to the rich and famous, Anna is worn out—from life, motherhood, and a painful breakup. So she decides to give herself the 50th birthday party she deserves—two days before she turns 51. But this is more than a party. It’s her chance to reclaim love, connection—and finally stage the one-woman show she’s always dreamed of. Belated is about big dreams and quiet disappointments. About the moments we begin again—whether by choice or by force. It’s about the gap between the lives we imagined and the ones we’re actually living. Funny, raw and painfully human, Belated is a celebration of showing up for yourself exactly when it matters most. And you’re invited. Lola Fishbein: Writer & Performer Mira Awad: Co- writer & Director Roi Erez: Original music & Pianist
An Artists Disguise
Rosemary Branch Theatre
Just because you are quiet doesn’t mean you don't have a voice. ‘An Artists Disguise’, a two person play exploring the fear of being lost in the crowed. A representation of how we hope to be remembered, presented through comedy, physical theatre and the connections that keep us grounded.
Sunrise for the Blind
The Cockpit
A raw, naturalistic portrayal of life in a bleak North Manchester town centre, the play explores cycles of poverty, racism, and young adulthood. It follows a group of youths and families as their lives intersect around gossip, forbidden relationships, and a tragic escalation of tensions leading to violence. The story delves into lost potential, generational frustration, and the suffocating nature of small-town life. Sunrise for the Blind pulls no punches, a familiar theme of writer, Lee Lomas, it promises to be an eye opening experience with plenty of light to balance out the shade. Trigger Warning: Please be advised that this performance contains strong language and explicit racial slurs. This production explores themes that some viewers may find distressing. Recommended for ages 16+.
Unpacked
Castle Room
Unpacked is an intimate one-to-one audio performance about the body, identity and freedom. Sitting at a table and wearing headphones, one audience member follows a series of simple instructions and encounters objects hidden inside a box. As the performance unfolds, the objects begin to form a fragmented body. The work asks whether we can leave the body behind, and what might remain of us if we do. The performance is unusual because it is quiet, personal and created for only one audience member at a time. There is no spoken text from the performer and no traditional stage action. Instead, sound, touch, objects and the audience member’s own choices create the experience. Unpacked turns the table into a small laboratory where the audience can explore embodiment and absence. *Unpacked was created with the support of the Gülriz Sururi – Engin Cezzar Theatre Incentive Award, presented by İKSV.
Terry’s Been Murdered!
Hen & Chickens Theatre
One mystery. Five suspects. No victim. And if you think you can guess what happens- think again... When six friends meet for a dinner party at Susan's house, nobody cares when Terry shows up. They're more interested in policeman Ray's stories- or chef Gabriel's cooking- or Nigel's new wife Maria. But when the phone rings to tell them that not only has Terry from school has been murdered, but ONE OF THEM has done it- chaos ensues. Even though Terry is in fact, in the room with them (and pretty confused by the whole thing). Suddenly people are pointing fingers and asking questions. Who saw him last? Who hated him the most? Why is nobody listening to Terry, who is definitely still alive? This mystery will spiral and unravel in ways no one expected, with more questions than answers and so many twists even the cast don't know what's going on. Will friends will betray friends? Will lies and secrets will be revealed? Will Terry still be alive at the end of the night? Probably. But anything could happen... "Knives Out" meets "The Naked Gun!" in this brand new, ridiculously silly, murder-mystery farce from Based On Originals.
Low Effort Sketches: We Have a Problem (WIP)
The Libra Theatre Cafe
Join multi award-winning sketch duo/astronauts Low Effort Sketches as they prepare for a dangerous space mission. On the launchpad, Andy starts feeling the pressure, leaving Alice to contend with a string of unlikely characters hell-bent on scuppering the mission. Will they ever make it to space? ‘Hilarious’ (Chortle), fourth-wall breaking sketch comedy with ‘a fantastic sense of surreal mischief’ (Spectator). ‘A masterclass in sketch comedy’ ★★★★.5 (The Tab). ‘Beautifully crafted.’ ★★★★.5 (The Reviews Hub). ‘An hour of endless laughs’ ★★★★.5 (Varsity). ‘A great offbeat hidden gem’ ★★★★ (Lothian Life). ‘Better than it has any right to be’ ★★★★ (ThreeWeeks). ‘Impossible to describe’ ★★★★ (Ed Fest Mag).
The Glory Days
Etcetera Theatre
"GLORY"- praise and admiration earned by doing something impressive. Decent. A talented footballer and highflying corporate matchmaker, Camilla Cole knows exactly how to place people where they're meant to be. Climbing two ladders is quite the balancing act, but worth it when the goal is so enticing... When a work social turned pub reunion provokes a trip down memory lane, this glimpse into the past reveals holes in Cole's perception of success. Sarah Louise Hill is the actor and writer of this solo show. Pulling from first hand experience as a female athlete, Hill received scholarships to study a BA in Acting whilst playing Division 1 football at University in the States, and is a recipient of the Irene Ryan Award for 'Best Comedy Performance'. The Glory Days invites the audience to become fans in the stands, punters in the pub, and a soundboard for Cole's predicament: the search for purpose beyond winning. Through multi-roling, top notch banter, and raw honesty, we see an individual fighting for promotion against her former self. But is the sacrifice worth the glory?
Unpacked
Castle Room
Unpacked is an intimate one-to-one audio performance about the body, identity and freedom. Sitting at a table and wearing headphones, one audience member follows a series of simple instructions and encounters objects hidden inside a box. As the performance unfolds, the objects begin to form a fragmented body. The work asks whether we can leave the body behind, and what might remain of us if we do. The performance is unusual because it is quiet, personal and created for only one audience member at a time. There is no spoken text from the performer and no traditional stage action. Instead, sound, touch, objects and the audience member’s own choices create the experience. Unpacked turns the table into a small laboratory where the audience can explore embodiment and absence. *Unpacked was created with the support of the Gülriz Sururi – Engin Cezzar Theatre Incentive Award, presented by İKSV.
The Hostel
The Courtyard Theatre
Three friends take an innocent trip to the Big Apple, but tensions rise as they’re forced into separate rooms of a bustling hostel. They’re introduced to an array of colourful characters, putting their friendship to the test as an unwelcome mix of power struggles, violent encounters, and unexpected romances spiral out of control. Amidst the chaos dark secrets are unveiled, resulting in an explosive climax. A gripping exploration of friendship, trust, and the consequences of our actions, this performance is sure to leave you on the edge of your seat.
Trial by AI: Live
Barons Court Theatre
The world's first live AI trial is here. And you're the jury. Three suspects. One AI system. You decide their fate. Trial by AI: Live is a visceral, interactive theatre experience that pulls you inside a live broadcast where justice has been repackaged as entertainment. Sharp satire, psychological tension and something that feels uncomfortably close to home. Immediate. Interactive. Strangely familiar.
Musings of a Serial Dieter
Hen & Chickens Theatre
Alison takes you down the rabbit hole of being a Serial Dieter. Enduring the purgatory of never being content, she explores the food confusion, stirring in a mixed medium of music and mayhem. Served with a fat dollop of humour.
Unpacked
Castle Room
Unpacked is an intimate one-to-one audio performance about the body, identity and freedom. Sitting at a table and wearing headphones, one audience member follows a series of simple instructions and encounters objects hidden inside a box. As the performance unfolds, the objects begin to form a fragmented body. The work asks whether we can leave the body behind, and what might remain of us if we do. The performance is unusual because it is quiet, personal and created for only one audience member at a time. There is no spoken text from the performer and no traditional stage action. Instead, sound, touch, objects and the audience member’s own choices create the experience. Unpacked turns the table into a small laboratory where the audience can explore embodiment and absence. *Unpacked was created with the support of the Gülriz Sururi – Engin Cezzar Theatre Incentive Award, presented by İKSV.
Miles Per Hour (WIP)
Camden Comedy Club
A new work-in-progress hour of high-octane character comedy from Miles Hitchens. Expect to be whelmed with delight. 'A comedic revolution', **** (Varsity); 'one of the highlights of Camden Fringe', **** (The Upcoming).
Something About England
The Libra Theatre Cafe
3:47am. 24 June 2016. The UK has just voted to leave the European Union. His daughter texts: ‘I never want to speak to you again’ Ten years after Brexit, left wing socialist punk rock troubadour Johnny Commune is back for one last show. Performing spoken-word versions of the songs that shaped him — The Clash, The Jam, X Ray Spex — he tries to come to terms with voting Leave, and how the impact of that decision nearly destroyed his life. After a decade spent reckoning with the fallout of his Lexiteer past: culture wars, casual racism, the slow unravelling of the England he thought he understood - it's now time to make it right. And then he has a discovery that changes everything. Something About England is a fierce, funny and personal solo show about shame, identity, hope and the search for something called the truth. Steve North is an actor and musician who lives in London. He performed in the Fringe First winning play Meeting Joe Strummer and was in the NT Live Broadcast of War Horse. His last solo show, an adaptation of Nick Hornby’s Fever Pitch had a 3 month run in the West End.
Getting to Iona
Union Chapel - Upper Hall Bar
A real, imaginary, extraordinary journey about faith, family, memory, magic, and the stories we tell. In 563 AD, St Columba left Ireland and sailed to the island of Iona, founding a monastery and a legacy which have stood since for centuries. In 1963, John Barry of Hillsborough and his twelve fellow pilgrims set off on that same voyage, recording his experiences in a book he called 'Joyful Pilgrimage'. In 2026, Tom Barry, an actor and writer from North London, recreates these journeys for the first time on the London stage. His own voyage of discovery asks why we leave home for the unknown - what we seek, find, and leave behind. An epic tale told and retold, in the wild imagination and beyond, across oceans of time, within moments of wonder. 'Getting to Iona' was first performed in 2024 in partnership with St Columba's Church, Pont St, London - then at St. Columba's Church, York - at St. Columba's-by-the-Castle, Edinburgh - and most recently at St. Colmcille's Church, Belfast, as part of the 4 Corners Festival. Their support has been invaluable in the project's development, and they deserve special thanks. This production is the show's theatrical debut.
Anywhere You Go
Upstairs at the Gatehouse
Anywhere You Go is a contemporary musical about love, friendship, and learning how to move on when the life you imagined no longer fits. Caught between a recent breakup and her best friend’s decision to leave London, Flo clings to memories, crystals, and the comfort of what she knows. As past and present collide, she’s forced to question what home really means, and whether holding on is stopping her from growing. Tender, funny, and painfully relatable, Anywhere You Go explores the messiness of your twenties and the courage it takes to choose change.
Quickening
Lion & Unicorn Theatre
Quickening is the narrative of three abortions - Lina and Josey find themselves in the same ward in 1972, a few years after the legalisation of abortion in the UK. In 2011, Lina’s daughter Darla faces a similar situation to her mother, putting a strain on their relationship and causing Lina to recall the emotional and social consequences of the abortion she had years before, as she struggles to adapt to Darla’s contemporary politics. Quickening is an incendiary piece of new theatre that interrogates one of society's most emotional debates, spanning decades to show the generational effects of social and individual change.
Motopia
The Cockpit
"Once upon a time, there was a forest, where the sun and the wind and the people ran through the trees with free abandon. Welcome to Motopia!" A new piece of writing, 'Motopia' is a musical choose-your-own adventure play where the choices of the protagonist are placed in the audience’s hands as they navigate their way through The Forest. Imagine the Fighting Fantasy books come to life, or as one audience member put it, “D&D the Musical.” Join Pip as they navigate increasingly complex choices, and the excitement, loss and responsibility that free-will (or lack thereof) brings, leading them to question "What do you do when you don't know what to do?" The world of Motopia is explored through a fairytale lens of childlike wonder, with a cast of five actor-musicians, original music and eccentric characters threaded throughout.
Unpacked
Castle Room
Unpacked is an intimate one-to-one audio performance about the body, identity and freedom. Sitting at a table and wearing headphones, one audience member follows a series of simple instructions and encounters objects hidden inside a box. As the performance unfolds, the objects begin to form a fragmented body. The work asks whether we can leave the body behind, and what might remain of us if we do. The performance is unusual because it is quiet, personal and created for only one audience member at a time. There is no spoken text from the performer and no traditional stage action. Instead, sound, touch, objects and the audience member’s own choices create the experience. Unpacked turns the table into a small laboratory where the audience can explore embodiment and absence. *Unpacked was created with the support of the Gülriz Sururi – Engin Cezzar Theatre Incentive Award, presented by İKSV.
How to make Adult Friends
The Courtyard Theatre
Struggling to connect? Tired of laughing by yourself? Look no further. Welcome to a high-energy, dark-comedy seminar led by an "expert" friend-maker whose methods are as questionable as her legal history. Part clowning, part social satire, and part desperate plea for human connection, this show tackles the loneliness epidemic head-on—by any means necessary. If you’ve ever found making friends as an adult completely impossible, this ridiculous masterclass is for you. Guaranteed to make you laugh, question your life choices, and maybe leave with a forced acquaintance.
A Two Woman Hamlet
SHAKEFEST @Old Red Lion
It's Hamlet...but not as you know it! "This is the Hamlet I have been waiting for my entire life." - Lakeside Theatre audience "Fun, fast-paced and fearlessly cut-down." - A Young(ish) Perspective "Energetic and inventive...a joy to watch." - Keep Colchester Cool "Refreshing and audacious...mesmerising." - Colchester Gazette A TWO WOMAN HAMLET takes Shakespeare’s well-known tragedy and asks: what happens if you try to do this with a cast of two women in just 60 minutes? This is an unpretentious adaptation, with joys in it for those familiar with Hamlet and those new to the story. With a rotating cast of three actors who mix and match across the two tracks, it's truly a different show every night! Directed by Dr. Nora Williams Starring: Sharmila Peake, Deanna Strasse, Lolly Taylor Mara Sherman, who directed the original production in 2018, describes her motivation as not just giving women an opportunity to play great roles such as Hamlet and Claudius, but giving these characters the opportunity to be played by women. Following the critical success of past productions at the Capitol Fringe (Washington, DC, 2018) and Edinburgh Fringe (2022), we developed a fresh take on this fun, fast-paced, and irreverent adaptation for a sold-out run at Colchester's Lakeside Theatre in March 2025 before taking it to Camden Fringe (2025), Colchester Fringe (2025), and then to the University of Bristol (2025). We recommend that this show appropriate for ages 14+ Please be aware that, like its source text, A Two Woman Hamlet contains some difficult themes, including: Death Domestic violence/intimate partner violence Femicide Mental illness Parental loss Sexual violence Suicide General violence Misogynist language
The Ballad of The Butcher’s Boy: A Scandalous New Musical
Rosemary Branch Theatre
A young East End dreamer invites you to hear the extraordinary tale of how he became the King of the Victorian music halls. Packed with live music and irreverent humour, A Night at The Music Hall is a darkly comic love letter to the music hall tradition, where every story deserves embellishing, every audience deserves entertaining, and the truth is whatever gets the biggest laugh.
In Our Broken Hours
Etcetera Theatre
In Our Broken Hours is an intimate one act play about a father living with alcoholism and the adult daughter who finds herself slipping into the role of his carer. Through frantic phone calls, raw monologues and a painful meeting, the play explores a relationship shaped by love, frustration and addiction. Mack, once charismatic, now drifts between warmth and withdrawal, unable to face the depth of his dependency. When his daughter Emma arrives unexpectedly, both are forced to confront the truths they’ve avoided. What emerges is a portrait of two people who care deeply about each other but can no longer meet in the middle. A story of responsibility, exhaustion and the quiet heartbreak of watching someone you love slowly disappear. Starring Simon Ashton, an actor, director and producer whose work spans stage and screen, and Giulia Rose, winner of Best Supporting Actress at the New York International Film Awards and the Oniros Film Awards.
The Rat Pack Stand-up Comedy
Camden Comedy Club
The best comedians and TV stars from the UK and international circuit. 14th sell-out year in London. The legendary Rat Pack show presents the very best at one of London's top comedy venues, the Camden Comedy Club. A new line up every show. Multiple Time Out Critics Choice 'Classy stand-up show. Laid-back, joyful fun and a wonderfully friendly vibe' Time Out Total sell-out Camden Fringe 2025 – book early!
Forgive me. I’ve sinned.
Hen & Chickens Theatre
A young woman returns to confession—but she isn’t ready to tell the truth. As Alex begins to question her faith and come to terms with her identity, her lifelong friendship with Mary is pushed to its limits. Set between a church, a living room, and late-night conversations in the park, “Forgive me. I’ve Sinned.” explores belief, sexuality, and what happens when growing up means growing apart.
‘this is a public square’
Chisenhale Dance Space
‘what’s is my body?’ ‘what is my body’ ‘isn’t my body.’ ‘this is a public square’ is a clown performance that situates the (trans) body as wayward material among the built landscape. The performance works with found text, participation, and material collaboration to collapse language of identity and community to practice alternative modes of worlding. CAMDEN BARRETT (they/them) is a theatre and performance practitioner based in London, UK. Their work and facilitation practice troubles hostile design frameworks of gender and architecture through anarchic methods of clowning and collaborative play. Most recently, they collaborated with multi-disciplinary designer Angela Rauf on ONLY EXIT at SIDE STEP FESTIVAL and VOIDSPACE (2025), a speculative, interactive performance project which sought to unmake conventions of wayfinding. From Salt Lake City, Utah, Camden is the co-founder of KID SISTER THEATRE COLLABORATIVE with director Niko Krieger. Camden has recently completed their postgraduate study on the MFA Advanced Theatre Practice course at the Royal Central School of Speech and Drama (’26) and are a graduate of the BFA Actor Training Program at the University of Utah (‘24).
Fools Were Meant To Sing
Bridewell Theatre
In the middle of a show, musical duo Rob & Lou are suddenly handed a chilling written message: "Stop the show or we will kill you." Featuring original songs and set against the gritty backdrop of late-80s/early-90s Los Angeles, the action follows the personal relationship between Robbie, Latino from LA, and Louis from the rural American midwest. Alongside Robbie’s resiliently kind-hearted sister Luna and sardonic cousin Felipe, the audience sees them through early songwriting sessions, tragic loss and big breaks all culminating into one moment where they must ask themselves: Should we play the next song? Where does the line exist between outsiders and community? How significant is the difference between naivety and deserved guilt? "Fools" asks these questions and more as secrets between Robbie and Louis come to light and the origins of the death threat are realized.
Medusa’s Voice
The Courtyard Theatre
Medusa’s Voice is a contemporary ritual trial that places Poseidon and Athena under public scrutiny, with the audience asked to decide their fate. Reimagining the myth beyond its original narrative, the performance shifts Medusa out of the story that has long defined her and into a present-day theatrical space where she can speak and resist on her own terms. Set within a modern courtroom, the piece blends legal structure with mysticism and ritual, creating a space that is unstable and symbolic, where testimony and embodiment meet.
Mega Church Xmas Play
The Libra Theatre Cafe
From Drag to Deuteronomy, this show has everything! Mega Church Xmas Play is a surreal, absurd, irreverent farce exploring the competitive side of the entertainment industry, organised religion and man buns. Devoted followers of Mega Church "Skylife" are preparing their annual Xmas play, but will ruthless ambition, ego and jealousy consume them? GOD wants this year's Xmas show to be the BIGGEST and BEST in the WORLD, putting senior pastor Cole Crampson under immense pressure. The hard working church members are competing for the lead roles, but will talented newcomers from rival Mega Church "EarthHeaven" take their place? Who will be crucified before curtain call?
Thorneland
Upstairs at the Gatehouse
'It's all simpler' In Northallerton, Yorkshire, siblings Saf and Luke, work on their family-owned farm with close friend, Jasmine. When Saf and Luke's brother, Nick, returns to the farm 4 years after the death of the sibling's younger brother, he finds that his role in the family has been filled by Jasmine, who has dealt with similar experiences in her own family, eventually leading her to Thorne Farm. Together, the four of them try to find the right words to empathise with each other's quiet devastation. This is a distinctly Northern English play that explores how we mediate and reconcile through grief, and whether said grief can give space for forgiveness and understanding, all told through backdrops of folk music, custard creams, and a joint or two. Told over the space of a week, will they be able to confront their distress after years of suppression? Or will Nick run away again, leaving his family with only the reminder of what they lost years ago?
A Party for my Uncle Brian
Union Chapel - Upper Hall Bar
Joe is attempting to throw the best birthday party anyone has ever had for his illusive Uncle Brian (his best friend in the entire world) and you are all invited! He’s bought a cake, a jug of pre-mixed squash and he’s even hired Barry Manilow! All that’s left to do now is to wait for the birthday boy to arrive... A Party for my Uncle Brian is a comedic exploration into the extremities of loneliness and the extent to which someone will go for attention, validation and companionship. For fans of absurdist theatre, watered down squash and copyright-free Barry Manilow songs. Are you wearing your party hat? Why exactly are you here? Where is Uncle Brian? “Powerful and masterful storytelling (... ) one of the highlights in this years Fringe Theatrefest lineup” (Jo Fisher, Fringe Theatrefest Reviews) MilkTongue is George Bennett, Frances Jennings and Fionn Wagstaff. Having come together from previous work with jarfrog (A Party for my Uncle Brian, BEGIN, Messenger) and from performing across Europe, this is their newest project.
Sofar Comedy
The London Art Bar
Not your Dad's comedy night. Unless your Dad's hot and hilarious. An intimate Camden Fringe takeover from the team behind Sofar Sounds' global living room shows. Known for spotlighting grassroots talent including early performances from artists like Billie Eilish and Olivia Dean, comes a curated comedy experience. Expect a handpicked line-up of exciting comedians across stand-up, improv and musical comedy. Each show on this limited run is as unique as it is hot and hilarious. You won’t want to miss this. With host and producer @mohiniko.
Super Dropper
SHAKEFEST @Old Red Lion
Super Dropper is a one-woman comedy show inspired by juggling. Irreverent, cheeky and flirtatious, Super Dropper is passionate about juggling! Thanks to her juggling props, she expresses her weirdest philosophical thoughts and fantasies without filters. She sees the world falling apart and she really wants to fix it! Her plan? Spreading the juggling love to save the world. The sky is her limit! Super Dropper mixes comedy and circus. Halfway between autobiography and fiction, Super Dropper explores with a French touch the themes of failure, introspection and politics. Expect puns, wit and speaking balls!
BEIGE
Lion & Unicorn Theatre
When everyone wants a version of you, who gets the real one? BEIGE is a darkly funny and unsettling theatre piece about identity, belonging, and the quiet violence of being branded. A woman is coached, corrected and softened until she starts to doubt her own instincts, her own body, her own voice. Raw, physical and intimate, BEIGE moves between comedy and discomfort, asking what it costs to be “palatable” and what happens the moment you stop trying. Created by Swiss-Congolese actress and theatre-maker Jessica Nlabu
The Perils of Youth Play
Rosemary Branch Theatre
"Mother. There is someone at the door. We have a visitor, mother, at this hour..." An ancient house. An unseen apparition. A wicked old crone and her pompous, disgraced son. And a family argument that lasts at least a thousand years. But who should make the first move? A haunting dream riff on families, envy, love and hate, mothers and sons, and the pain it takes to perform a single gesture of love, the Perils of Youth portrays the eternal struggles that reside within the family and the collective unconscious. And the terror of being alive. Written in sculpted, rhythmic language, this satire of the class system and the masculine artist archetype is a play for those who love the English language and the power of words to captivate, ensnare and attack. Blackly funny, menacing and unforgettable new writing.
Terry’s Been Murdered!
Hen & Chickens Theatre
One mystery. Five suspects. No victim. And if you think you can guess what happens- think again... When six friends meet for a dinner party at Susan's house, nobody cares when Terry shows up. They're more interested in policeman Ray's stories- or chef Gabriel's cooking- or Nigel's new wife Maria. But when the phone rings to tell them that not only has Terry from school has been murdered, but ONE OF THEM has done it- chaos ensues. Even though Terry is in fact, in the room with them (and pretty confused by the whole thing). Suddenly people are pointing fingers and asking questions. Who saw him last? Who hated him the most? Why is nobody listening to Terry, who is definitely still alive? This mystery will spiral and unravel in ways no one expected, with more questions than answers and so many twists even the cast don't know what's going on. Will friends will betray friends? Will lies and secrets will be revealed? Will Terry still be alive at the end of the night? Probably. But anything could happen... "Knives Out" meets "The Naked Gun!" in this brand new, ridiculously silly, murder-mystery farce from Based On Originals.
ECHOES
Etcetera Theatre
Echo: Spoke too much and was forever cursed to echo what others say. Philomela: Tongue severed and could not tell what had been done to her. Cassandra: A prophetess that no one would believe. Arachne: Said the wrong thing in the face of the gods. Helen: Bound to Troy and never allowed to tell her own story. ECHOES is a one-woman-show about the silencing and loss of the female voice. Using stories from classical mythology, the play weaves between modern and ancient narratives, as an actress confronts her ironic fear of her own voice, and tries to find out how she can reclaim not only her own voice, but also those of the women whose voices have been suppressed and distorted for centuries by male dominated scholarship. The show is a comical and confrontational depiction of women's struggles throughout the ages and shows how the female experience echoes through time.
‘The Well’ by Bitterroot Theatre
The Courtyard Theatre
Stranded in the heart of the desert, Buck and Duke are dying of thirst. Their only hope: a hidden well that may not even exist. In this interactive Western, the audience holds the power, voting with paddles to dictate each decision our heroes make. Be careful, the fate of the characters and the world they inhabit lies in your choices.
Sunrise for the Blind
The Cockpit
A raw, naturalistic portrayal of life in a bleak North Manchester town centre, the play explores cycles of poverty, racism, and young adulthood. It follows a group of youths and families as their lives intersect around gossip, forbidden relationships, and a tragic escalation of tensions leading to violence. The story delves into lost potential, generational frustration, and the suffocating nature of small-town life. Sunrise for the Blind pulls no punches, a familiar theme of writer, Lee Lomas, it promises to be an eye opening experience with plenty of light to balance out the shade. Trigger Warning: Please be advised that this performance contains strong language and explicit racial slurs. This production explores themes that some viewers may find distressing. Recommended for ages 16+.
Kari – a Modern Mythical Tale
Union Chapel - Upper Hall Bar
Three mythical stories played out in modern times: A naive boy falls in love with a forest creature from legend, a bored woman gets bewitched by a beautiful stray cat, and a depressed security guard finds an ancient lamp that grants wishes. Come and listen as Håkan Carlsson, actor and writer, brings these stories to life with humour and passion.