Hide and Seek
By Tobia Rossi
Hide and Seek is a moving and darkly entertaining play that pits two teenage boys against each other in the face of the contagious prejudice of their small Italian town. Gio, who has never felt accepted by anyone – not by parents, teachers or peers – decides to disappear and hide out in a secluded cave. When his popular classmate Mirko discovers him, Gio enlists him as an accomplice, convincing him to preserve his secret despite the media frenzy over his disappearance. The boys embark on an unexpected journey towards self-discovery and acceptance, setting in motion a series of dramatic consequences.
The play shines a light on bullying, homophobia and the power of social media, exploring how discriminatory voices can deeply impact young minds. It highlights how being yourself is still a risky proposition in our society when it comes to sexual orientation and independent thought.
Tobia Rossi is one of Italy’s foremost playwrights. Hide and Seek won the 2019 Mario Fratti Award at In Scena! Italian Theater Festival NY. The worldwide premiere of the English translation was presented in May 2022 at The Tank, NYC. This production transfers from VAULT Festival 2023 where it was first performed in front of a British audience.
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Evenings
19.45
Thu & Sat15.15
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Content warnings
This production contains scenes of violence with minimal blood, intensely suggestive dialogue, brief non-explicit sexual content and strong language. There are also references to bullying and emotional neglect.
Gallery





In the press
"Left the audience speechless"
Stage to Page
"A gut-punch work"
Lost in Theatreland
"Two outstanding actors... in a stellar performance"
Curtain Call Reviews
"'Shocking and darkly comic'"
"Bold and unflinching"
LondonTheatre1
"A poignant exploration of self-acceptance"
Operation Live Theatre
"An absorbing two-hander... Very highly recommended"
Fringe Review
"The actors, both excellent"
The Reviews Hub
Cast and Creatives
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Loris Scarpa
Gio
Loris Scarpa
Gio
Loris graduated from the Actor Musicianship course at Rose Bruford College in 2021.
Theatre credits include: Once (The London Palladium, Tokyu Orb, China Tour), Rapunzel (The Watermill Theatre), Alice in Wonderland (The Mercury Theatre) Glory Ride (The Charing Cross Theatre)
Screen and Voiceover credits include: Sweetpea (Sky Atlantic) SAS: Rogue Heroes (BBC), Doctors (BBC), Pin Cushion (BFI), Company of Heroes (Relic Entertainment)
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Nico Cetrulo
Mirko
Nico Cetrulo
Mirko
Nico Cetrulo trained at Arts Educational, where productions included Hamlet, Chaos and Confusions.
Work in theatre includes: The Merchant of Venice and Sapho & Phao for the RSC and Zava Production’s Hide and Seek for VAULT Festival.
Short films include: How to Get Away With Murder.
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Tobia Rossi
Writer
Tobia Rossi
Writer
Tobia is an Italian playwright and screenwriter working with the main Italian and milanese theatres. His recent works include: Il Principe dei sogni belli, Due di Parma Theatre, 2020; Garbo for Abbecedario per il mondo nuovo, Piccolo Theatre, Milan, 2021 and I Signori dell’Universo, Centro Bresciano Theatre, 2021. Tobia wrote the libretto for the opera Troposfera, Venice Biennale Music, 2016 and the musicals The Prince of Air and Miss I-Doll both recently showcased in London. Awards include: the honorable mention at the Hystrio Scritture per la Scena_35 Award with The Ugly Thing, 2016 and the Mario Fratti Award with HIDE and SEEK, 2019, and in 2023 the LGBTQ+ community and diversity in love International Award Carlo Annoni with Piccola Bestia.
His first screenplay, Candy Crush, is in development with Indiana Production. Tobia is also a story editor for tv and cinema and a creative writing teacher in Milan at Franco Parenti Theatre, Cinema Accademy Luchino Visconti and IED – Design European Institute. -
Carlotta Brentan
Translator and Director
Carlotta Brentan
Translator and Director
Carlotta is a New York-based bilingual theater artist specializing in the development of brave, challenging new plays as a director, actor, producer and translator. Stage highlights: World Premieres of Frank J. Avella’s Lured, based on real events of anti-gay persecution in Russia (performend and co-directed, sold-out runs at Theater for The New City in NYC and OnStage! Festival in Rome), Avella’s Vatican Falls about the Catholic church sex abuse scandal (performed and co-directed, The Tank NYC), Paolo Bignami’s The Journey I Never Made (performed and translated from Italian, Cherry Lane Theatre NYC), Erik Ehn’s Clover (La MaMa Experimental Theater Club NYC). Carlotta has collaborated on the development of Tobia Rossi’s HIDE and SEEK since 2019 as translator and director in both NYC and London, and is thrilled to continue this powerful play’s journey at Park Theatre. Carlotta is also a film actor, prolific voiceover artist & award-winning audiobook narrator of over 170 novels.
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Simone Manfredini
Music Composer
Simone Manfredini
Music Composer
Simone is a composer, pianist, orchestrator and conductor who has worked extensively in London and Europe for Disney Theatrical, Cameron Mackintosh LTD, Stage Entertainment, ATG and other world-class companies. His main credits as musical director include The Lion King, Les Miserables, Mary Poppins, 9 to 5, Mamma Mia!, Beauty and the Beast, Cats, Sister Act and many others. Workshop includes: The Prince of Air, Miss I-Doll, Sugar, Vanara, Confessions, Fat Friends, The Braille Legacy and The Little Prince. Simone composed and arranged several music for Gardaland Theatre (Merlin Group), the biggest Italian theme park, where he won the Parks Mania Award for best song and best show and he is currently developing his own musical projects: The Prince of Air, Miss I-Doll, In a State of Grace and Solstice.
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Michael O'Donnell
Fight Director
Michael O'Donnell
Fight Director
Michael started his artistic career in New York as performer in Jerome Robbin’s Broadway, Carousel at Lincoln Centre, Victor/Victoria starring Julie Andrews, Sam Mendes’ Cabaret, Wonderful Town, The Pajama Game with Harry Connick Jr. and Spamalot.
Michael began his directing career staging the touring version of some of the Broadway productions where he performed including Cabaret and Spamalot. He produced a full-lenght comedy film, Moving Mike, in Manhattan, 2009. He was Resident Director of Cameron Mackintosh’s 25th Anniversary tour of Les Miserables, 2011. He also produced and created exciting large-scale events from the ground up, most notably the annual Christmas party for mega agency McgarryBowen. Michael is currently the Supervising Resident Director of Disney’s The Lion King in the West End and UK tour, 2017-present.
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Constance Comparot
Set Designer
Constance Comparot
Set Designer
Constance is a French performance designer and theatre maker based in London. She trained in BA Theatre Design at Wimbledon College of Arts, UAL, and graduated in 2022 .
Her work as a set designer include Fairytale in Church Street (The Cockpit, 2023), Homeless (Camden Fringe 2023), Persephone (Edinburgh Fringe, 2023), Mum (Tramshed theatre, 2023), Poetry Brothel: I spit Roses (Century Club, 2023), Kitty in the Lane and Paddy goes to Petra (Brockley Jack, 2023/2022), Ascension and The One the River didn’t keep (Windsor Fringe festival, 2022 and 2023), Last night of Love, First night of War (Electrowerk, 2022), Poetry Brothel: Death is my lover (Electrowerk, 2022), Fear (Middlesex University, 2021 ). As an assistant designer, she has worked for Opera Holland Park (HMS Pinafore, 2022) and the New Nordics Festival (2021).
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Alex Forey
Lighting Designer
Alex Forey
Lighting Designer
Alex is a lighting designer, associate, programmer and technician. He is a graduate of the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art. Lighting designer includes: Polyeucte (Theatre Royal Stratford East), Libuše, Rhapsody 2019, From Here To Eternity (Bloomsbury Theatre), Babel (Lyric Hammersmith), Into The Woods, Exhibition (Shaw Theatre), Network, Killology, Mums, Till Death Do We Part, Honey Badger, Three Sisters, The Importance of Being Earnest, Electra, Yerma, & The Tempest (Wimbledon College of Art), Message in a Clay River, A Sexual Odyssey, Written on the Body (Cockpit Theatre), Songs for a New World (Drayton Arms Theatre), The Piper of Hamelin (Rose Theatre Kingston), Manifestos (Bloomsbury Festival, RADA Studios), Graduate Showcase 2019 (Italia Conti Academy), Henry V, Hiroshima: Crucible of Light (Samuel Pepys Theatre), Grey Matter, Twelfth Night (Edinburgh Fringe). Awards include: winner of the Vectorworks Design Scholarship 2020 (UK, Entertainment Category), UCL Arts Award for Best Design 2018 (joint with scenic design) for Polyeucte and UCL Arts Award for Best Design 2019 (lighting) for Rhapsody 2019.
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Alessandro Milzoni
Stylist
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Giada Prestinari
Dramaturg and Assistant Director
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Fae Hochgemuth
Production Stage Manager
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Laura Seaborn for HJB Casting
Casting
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Liam Mclaughlin & Megan Gibbons
Marketing
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Mariano Gobbi
Content Creator
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Zava Productions
Producer and General Manager
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Lorenzo Mannelli
Associate Producer
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Kairos Italy Theatre
Co-producer
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