2024 Season Announced

30 October 2023

  • Whodunnit [Unrehearsed] returns with a different celebrity taking the role of Inspector each night, VIPs for 2024 include Benedict Cumberbatch, Beverley Knight, Adrian Lester, Brian Cox and Jodie Whittaker 
  • The Forsyte Saga will have its stage premiere in a two-part adaptation 
  • Vicki McKellar and Olivier Award-winning director Guy Masterson present a new thriller exploring the five hours immediately after the death of Marilyn Monroe 
  • Further shows include family dramas, a queer rom-com, international artists and emerging artists 

We are delighted to announce a plethora of new shows for 2024, including the third instalment of a their hugely popular Whodunnit [Unrehearsed] series and a two-part adaptation of The Forsyte Saga. Whodunnit [Unrehearsed] 3 (27 Mar – 4 May) will see over 45 celebrities take the role of the Inspector without ever seeing the script and only hearing their lines via earpiece moments before speaking. The farcical murder mystery set aboard a train has a staggering line up comedians, actors and presenters returning to play the Inspector, including Clive Anderson, Gillian Anderson, David Baddiel, Sanjeev Bhaskar, Marcus Brigstocke, Simon Callow, Michelle Collins, Nina Conti, Victoria Coren Mitchell, Les Dennis, Adrian Dunbar, Mark Gatiss, Tamsin Greig, David Haig, Harry Hill, Adam Hills, Ronan Keating, Ross Kemp, Maureen Lipman, Gareth Malone, Jason Manford, Stephen Mangan, Tim McInnerny, David Mitchell, Neil Morrissey, Eddie Nestor, Sue Perkins, Clarke Peters, Daisy Ridley, Rob Rinder, Tony Robinson, Meera Syal, Catherine Tate, Sandi Toksvig, Meera SyalEmma Thompson, Johnny Vegas, Tim Vine and Greg Wise, with new faces this year including Benedict Cumberbatch, Beverley Knight, Adrian Lester, Brian Cox and Jodie Whittaker, with more to be announced. The voice of Ian McKellen will once again feature in the fundraiser, which is presented by Park Theatre at the close of its 10th anniversary year to combat the rising costs of making live theatre and running the venue during the cost-of-living crisis. 

The Forsyte Saga (11 Oct – 7 Dec) has been announced for Autumn 2024 as Park Theatre’s first two-part drama, adapted by Shaun McKenna and Lin Coghlan. Spanning 40 years from the last gasp of the Victorian age to the beginning of the roaring 1920s, this is an epic tale of sex, money and power. Wealthy solicitor Soames Forsyte is a man of property, and his beautiful wife Irene is his most prized possession. When he commissions an architect to build him a house in which to keep her, the cracks in their marriage finally begin to show, until something happens so shocking that it tears the Forsyte family apart. The Forsyte Saga Part 1: Irene and The Forsyte Saga Part 2: Fleur play across alternate nights and run consecutively on matinee days, featuring a cast of nine in a stylish period production.  

Further shows in the 2024 programme, following the previously announced Kim’s Convenience (8 Jan – 10 Feb) and Philip Ridley’s Leaves of Glass (16 Jan – 10 Feb), include further family dramas, a queer romantic comedy, a double bill of work by emerging artists, international artists, and a meticulously researched thriller asking what happened in the five hours between Marilyn Monroe’s death and the call to report it to the police.  

Hir (15 Feb – 16 Mar, Park200) is by Pulitzer and Tony-nominee Taylor Mac and directed in this new revival by Steven Kunis. Isaac, the prodigal son, has returned from the brutality of war, only to discover his family home transformed by domestic revolution. The patriarchy has fallen, and mother Paige has been liberated from an oppressive marriage. Enlisting Isaac’s newly-out transgender sibling as her ally, Paige is now on a crusade to tear apart the old regimes. Hir is a disarmingly funny, strikingly original comedy exploring a family in transition, forced to build a brave new world out of the pieces of the old.  

Playing alongside this in Park90, Edinburgh Fringe hit Cowboys and Lesbians (21 Feb – 9 Mar) is Billie Esplen’s queer romantic comedy which examines the intersection between sexuality and fantasy through the eyes of two closeted teenage girls, highlighting just how much the stories we consume affect the ones we tell about ourselves. Nina and Noa are 17 and wasting their youth on flashcards and fantasies about their teachers. They’ve never been to a party, they’ve never been kissed, and they’re absolutely never going to admit that they fancy each other. That is, until they start writing a Hollywood romance, inventing a fantasy world of lust, betrayal, and sexy cowboys. 

Next up in Park90, Hide and Seek (12 - 30 Mar) is a play about bullying, homophobia and the power of social media, exploring how discriminatory voices can deeply impact young minds. 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. Hide and Seek is by one of Italy’s foremost playwrights, Tobia Rossi, and transfers to Park Theatre from VAULT Festival 2023. 

Running at the same time as Whodunnit [Unrehearsed] 3 plays in Park200, Park90 sees the return of Make Mine a Double (2 – 13 Apr), a double bill of shows that aims to give theatre makers a lower-cost and lower-risk way of producing new work in the Finsbury Park venue, as well as offering multi-buy tickets to encourage local audiences to see compelling new work. The first will be The Light House by Alys Williams, a real-life story of falling in love and staying in love, even when the lights go out and you’re lost in the dark, even when the person you love doesn’t want to be alive. It’s paired with Sun Bear, a one-woman comedy from Sarah Richardson about Katy, an office-worker who is drowning under the pressure of it all. Cold, cutting and out of control, Katy is one team-building lunch away from tearing the whole office apart, personalised mugs and all. 

Jez Bond said, “We’re delighted to be bringing the third instalment of Whodunnit [Unrehearsed] to Park Theatre, and so grateful to the astonishing slate of guest performers who are once again donating their time to us. As a venue that receives no regular public subsidy, their ongoing support to fundraisers such as this are vital to keep the venue open as costs climb, and ensure we can keep supporting emerging artists with programmes such as Make Mine a Double, which returns in April, as well as the community outreach we do and our continuing efforts to make performances accessible for all. We are also thrilled to be announcing our first two-part drama series in The Forsyte Saga, and our Spring shows, Hir, Cowboys and Lesbians and Hide and Seek which come to us as a new revival, from Edinburgh Fringe and from VAULT Festival.” 

A first glimpse of Park Theatre’s Summer season, A Song of Songs in Park200 (9 May – 15 June) is a musical play from an unprecedented collaboration of international artists, winner of The San Francisco Critics Award for the best new production. A Song of Songs fuses a world music score, Middle Eastern harmonics, dazzling choreography and an inspiring story of passion and awakening. Drawing on influences that span continents and millennia - from ancient feminist eroticism to the sounds of modern European Flamenco, Klezmer and the Middle-East.  

In Park90 is the world premiere of Ostan (16 May – 8 June) by Arzhang Pezhman, a drama about Rebin, who has been stuck in the UK immigration system for almost a decade. Rebin has heard it all before. That is until the boss, Shapur, proposes using his struggling hand car wash business as a front for a human trafficking enterprise. Smuggling immigrants into the country in the boots of the carwash client’s cars. 

In The Marilyn Conspiracy (19 Jun – 27 Jul, Park200), Vicki McKellar teams up with Olivier Award-winning director Guy Masterson in a meticulously researched thriller about the five hours after the death of Marilyn Monroe. All the facts are revealed, lies exposed, the myths debunked, and the shocking truth of what happened in those missing five hours is laid bare on stage. 

Finally, before the Autumn run of The Forsyte Saga, 23.5 Hours (4 Sept – 5 Oct) is a deeply moving exploration of love, trust, truth and lies. Once a beloved high school teacher, Tom Hodges's world shatters after he is accused of a terrible crime. When he returns from prison, long-buried scars resurface, putting the bonds of marriage and loyalty to the ultimate test. 

 


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Five new shows added to our 2023 Spring Season

24 January 2023

The new programme starts with Leaving Vietnam (14 Mar – 8 Apr). Running alongside the previously announced The Way Old Friends Do, directed by Mark Gatiss in Park200, the Park90 show is about the lived experience of a war veteran. Following a decorated Vietnam war veteran Jimmy Vandenberg who can’t move on when his sacrifice is not acknowledged, this thought-provoking and timely play shows how those who feel disillusioned and excluded can be seduced into supporting populist politicians.

Next in Park90 is cancel culture exploration Snowflakes (12 Apr – 6 May). Blending comedy, satire, sci-fi and drama, Snowflakestakes Cancel Culture quite literally to question ideas of morality, revenge and justice with gleeful, violent abandon. Marcus and Sarah work for a very special start-up. They do the job that so many people call out for in the comments section. So, outsource your rage, disgust and vitriol; they may not be based in a co-working space but they do have an app. The show runs alongside ANIMAL in Park200.

The first of two revivals, Leaves of Glass (11 May – 3 Jun) is a Philip Ridley play which returns for the first time in 16 years with a new production by long time collaborators, Lidless Theatre. Steven has always tried to be a good person. He works hard. He looks after his family. But, suddenly, everyone starts accusing him of things. His wife accuses him of being unfaithful. His mother accuses him of being coercive. And his brother, Barry, accuses him of...what exactly? 

In Park200, a major new revival of Neil LaBute’s The Shape of Things (24 May – 1 Jul) will be presented by the producers of last year’s hit revival of Clybourne Park. A fast-moving and thrilling piece of theatre set on a college campus in small-town America, it's a play about relationships, art and friendship where nothing is quite what it seems.

Finally Paper Cut (7 Jun - 1 Jul) sees a young gay American soldier, returning from Afghanistan after being injured in an IED blast. Only a paper cut. Or that’s what he wants his friends, family, and a potential new love to believe. Paper Cut is a raw exploration of the physical and emotional toll of returning soldiers and how they navigate their way through another minefield – that of returning home.

Leaving Vietnam | 12 Mar - 8 Apr

Snowflakes | 12 Apr - 6 May

Leaves of Glass | 11 May - 3 June

The Shape of Things | 24 May - 1 Jul 

Paper Cut | 7 Jun - 1 Jul


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Six smashing new plays announced in Park Theatre's Spring 2023 season

2 November 2022

  • Clive Anderson will be directed by Park Theatre’s Artistic Director Jez Bond in Winner’s Curse, a meditation on mediation by former Middle East peace negotiator Daniel Taub
  • The remarkable true story of boxer Vernon Vanriel and the Windrush Scandal is told in musical drama On the Ropes
  • ANIMAL explores the sex life of a disabled man who needs round-the-clock care
  • The Way Old Friends Do is a celebration of tribute bands and fandom directed by Mark Gatiss

Incredible personal experiences have inspired world premiere productions taking centre stage at Park200 in Spring 2023. Clive Anderson stars in Winner’s Curse, penned by a former Middle East peace negotiator, boxer Vernon Vanriel brings his story of a bare-knuckle fight for his right to British citizenship after four decades of living in the UK, and activist with cerebral palsy Josh Hepple contributes insights of round-the-clock care to the story of David – gay, disabled and profoundly horny. Also coming to Park200, Mark Gatiss directs a comedy about a drag ABBA tribute band. In Park90 will be the UK premiere of psychological thriller The Elephant Song along with and an exploration of the fragility of female relationships in The Beach House.

The season opens with the musical drama On The Ropes (6 Jan – 4 Feb): written by Dougie Blaxland and Vernon Vanriel, and directed by Anastasia Osei-Kuffour, it tells Vernon’s extraordinary story of arriving in Britain aged six with his family as part of the Windrush Generation and rising to prominence as one of the most charismatic and influential Black British boxers of the 70s and 80s. In 2005, having lived in North London for 43 years, Vernon found himself trapped in Jamaica; homeless, penniless and denied access to medical care for a heart condition. What followed was a prolonged fight with the British Home Office for his right to citizenship. Pulsating with the rhythmic energies of blues, reggae and boxing, On the Ropes is a celebration of how courage, dignity and a fighting spirit can triumph over prejudice and injustice. 

Meanwhile in Park90, the UK premiere of Nicolas Billon’s The Elephant Song (18 Jan – 11 Feb) is a psychological thriller fraught with mind games and verbal tugs-of-war. A psychiatrist suddenly disappears from a mental institution. A young patient of the hospital, Michael, is suspected to be involved in his disappearance. Dr. Greenberg, the hospital director, is determined to question Michael, ignoring the head nurse's cryptic warnings. In a turbulent power struggle with Greenberg, Michael attempts to barter the truth for his potential freedom, with devastating consequences.

Next in Park200, Artistic Director Jez Bond directs Clive Anderson in Winner’s Curse (8 Feb – 11 Mar). Written by former Middle East peace negotiator Daniel Taub and comedy writer/producer Dan Patterson (Mock the Week, Whose Line is it Anyway), Winner’s Curse is a brand-new show that combines humour and audience interaction to take you behind the scenes in -high stakes international peace talks. Two countries are locked in battle over a strip of land when a fragile ceasefire provides a chance for peace. Over the negotiating table, cynical diplomats, idealistic peacemakers and meddling mediators try to navigate a perilous path to agreement as the threat of continued conflict looms ever larger.  

Shortlisted for the Liverpool Hope Playwriting Prize, The Beach House (15 Feb – 11 Mar) is a tender new play that explores the fragility of female relationships as three women grapple with motherhood, sisterhood and distractions. Until a betrayal exposes their secret desires...  Moving out of the city to raise their baby, the old house by the sea is supposed to be a peaceful new start for stay-at-home mother and songwriter Liv, and new mum Kate. And then there's Liv's sister Jenny who, despite wanting to distance herself from her overbearing sibling, finds herself being drawn back to the beach house. Conceived against an ever-changing coastal backdrop, Jo Harper’s play explores the crisis of becoming a parent, knotted bonds between two sisters and the endurance of love. 

A comedy about devotion, desire and dancing queens, The Way Old Friends Do (15 Mar – 15 Apr) is written by Ian Hallard (Michael in The Boys in the Band, Park Theatre/Vaudeville Theatre) and directed by Mark Gatiss. In the late 1980s, two school friends from Birmingham tentatively come out to one another: one as gay, the other as an ABBA fan. Nearly thirty years later, a chance meeting sets them on an exciting new path, and they decide to form the world’s first ABBA tribute band – in drag. Tender and laugh-out loud funny in equal measure, this heartfelt story will appeal to anyone who understands how it feels to be a fan: of ABBA or of old friends. The Way Old Friends Do comes to Park Theatre following a run at Birmingham Rep.

Completing the season, ANIMAL (19 Apr – 20 May) is written by Jon Bradfield, co-writer of Above The Stage’s acclaimed series of queer adult pantomimes, from a story by Jon Bradfield and Josh Hepple, an activist with severe cerebral palsy who has a masters in law and is an equality trainer and a writer-journalist at The Guardian and Huffington Post. ANIMAL follows David, who is gay, disabled and profoundly horny. He can’t eat, drink or shower by himself – let alone the rest. Totally inexperienced, he embarks on a sexual and romantic odyssey. But can David keep it casual whilst also relying on round-the-clock care? ANIMAL won the inaugural Through The Mill Prize (Hope Mill Theatre supported by Jonathan Harvey) and will premiere at Hope Mill Theatre in March; it was also shortlisted in the top five for the Papatango Prize. Everyone is welcome at any performance of ANIMAL: it will be an environment in which people can freely express themselves and experience the show according to their needs.

Throughout the Spring, Park Theatre will continue to host their ever-popular Coffee, Croissant and a Concert. Ostara Chamber Players will be inviting esteemed musicians to join them in an eclectic programme of classical music for one Sunday morning of every month.

 

On the Ropes I 6 Jan - 4 Feb

The Elephant Song I 18 Jan - 11 Feb

Winner's Curse I 8 Feb - 11 Mar

The Beach House I 15 Feb - 11 Mar

The Way Old Friends Do I 15 Mar - 15 Apr

ANIMAL I 19 Apr - 20 May

Coffee, Croissant & a Concert I various


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New season announced

1 September 2021

Park Keepers priority booking is NOW OPEN for our Nov - Jan Season, general on sale at 10am Sat 4 Sept.


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Holly's Angels reopens food distribution hub at Park Theatre

3 February 2021

Holly's Angels

In December, with support from Nina Graverny-Edwards (Community Engagement Manager, Park Theatre), Michael Peavoy (Former Deputy Venue & Volunteer Manager, Park Theatre) and Amrit Maan (Punjab Restaurant, Covent Garden), Holly Adomah Thompson (Park Sessions: Get Into It & Cafe/Bar team) turned our space into a food distribution hub to accept donations of dry food, essential items and wrapped gifts for children during Christmas.

We are proud to announce that Holly and her team of volunteers (who have named themselves Holly’s Angels) will be reopening the food distribution hub. On Sat 06, Sun 07, Sat 13 and Sun 14 Feb, we will be re-opening our doors to collect donations for those in our community who need it the most this month. Our collection service will be open from 11am until 2pm at the theatre and donations will be collected by the team.

Holly is working to support the Elizabeth House and Andover Estate community centres, as well as local creatives who are experiencing hardship at this time and we are encouraging you to bring along any aforementioned donations. Amrit Maan has also kindly donated 300 frozen curries for community members, especially local artists to come and collect from Park Theatre.

We have a socially-distanced system in place in order to accept your donations safely. We ask that patrons wear face masks when making donations and not to enter the space due to lockdown egulations. Donations will be collected by the team outside the venue within the designated area.

Gifts

We are looking for the following donations:

●      Toys for children - colouring books, small toys, soft toys, board games

●      Toiletries – deodorant, toilet paper, shower gel, shaving gel, shampoo, soap, toothbrushes, tooth paste, hand wipes, children’s toiletries

●      Household items – laundry liquid detergent, laundry powder, washing up liquid

●      Feminine products – sanitary towels and tampons

●      Baby supplies – nappies, baby wipes and baby food

●      Face masks and hand sanitiser

●      Valentine’s Day themed gifts - chocolates, teddy bears, cards (unsigned)

Please contact Holly at [email protected] if you have any questions, to want to find out more or if you’d like to receive a package.


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Nationwide Lockdown: Update on 2021 season shows

5 January 2021

Due to the new nationwide lockdown (in effect from Wednesday 6th January), we have taken the decision to postpone all scheduled performances for 2021. As lockdown restrictions ease we will announce new dates and, at that time, our box office team will contact all bookers to offer an exchange of tickets (and any pre-ordered drinks) for a new date. 


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Tier Three Update

15 December 2020

In light of the government's new Tier 3 restrictions, we have postponed and announced new dates for some events in our January - March mini season.

 


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The Star of Park Theatre

26 November 2020

The Star of Park Theatre

Every day in Advent, we'll be unlocking our calendar doors to see if we can find the Star of Park Theatre - who could it be?
 

Watch the videos by opening the doors below - you may need to tick 'Accept cookies' at the bottom of the calendar. You can also follow the videos on InstagramTwitter or Facebook.

Be a star! 

All the stars taking part in our advent event have done so in support of Park Life - our emergency fund to help overcome the challenges of 2020. If you enjoy the digital performances over December, please donate to the fund and help us bring world-class live theatre back to Finsbury Park as soon as possible in 2021. Click here to support us.

 


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Jury by Martin Murphy Streaming Online

17 August 2020

For 10 weeks during lockdown, Park Theatre Company - Script Class worked together as an online theatre company with director Amy Allen to virtually stage Jury, a brand new play by Martin Murphy (Bruised Sky), premiering at 7pm Wed 19 Aug.


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Arts Council England Emergency Grant Secured

29 May 2020

Park Theatre is delighted to have been awarded £35k in emergency funding from Arts Council England. Along with other monies raised since they closed their doors to the public on 18 March this counts towards a monumental fundraising effort led by the staff team.


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Virtual Classes Now Online!

7 May 2020

Our celebrated Creative Learning Programme is moving online! With adult classes in acting technique, a script based acting course and devising available, as well as drama and performance skills classes for children and young people aged between 4 – 18.


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The Prism Project

21 June 2019

The Prism Project is a series of rehearsed readings at Park Theatre that offers free rehearsal space and a professional theatre in which to develop and showcase diverse stories. If you are an artist who is Black, Asian or part of a minority ethnic group then we want to hear from you. You should be working on a script (either yourself or as part of the creative team) that could use the space for its development, and you should have a creative team available to work on your project.


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The Prism Project - new BAME artist initiative launched

6 February 2019

We are delighted to announce our new theatre and artist development initiative, The Prism Project, which has been specially created to nurture BAME voices on stage, and provide a starting block which will help to disperse new stories.

 


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SIT-Up Sunday: A Day Celebrating Two Award Winning Performances

28 September 2018

 

Park Theatre is to host two plays recognised by the SIT-Up Awards: a new award recently launched at the Edinburgh Fringe to reward and support theatre to achieve greater social impact. Standing for Social Impact Theatre, SIT-Up Sunday will offer a platform to two plays commended in their debut year: And Before I Forget I Love You, I Love You (5pm) by Pip Utton, and the 2018 award-winner Dangerous Giant Animals (7pm) by Christina Murdock on Sunday 28 October.

SIT-UP Awards Founder David Graham said:

“These two plays have been selected as they powerfully change attitudes and move their audiences. And that is the idea of the awards and SIT-UP Sunday at Park Theatre.”


Park Theatre’s Artistic Director Jez Bond said:

“Having been moved to laughter and tears at the Edinburgh Festival, I am utterly delighted to be giving an opportunity for a London audience to see these powerful, punchy and vital plays.”


Pip Utton, one of the world's foremost solo performers (Adolf, Churchill, Chaplin, Play-ing Maggie) delivers his moving and affec-tionate performance about the devastating effects of Alzheimer's in And Before I Forget I Love You, I Love You. Pip is famed for his skill in breaking the fourth wall and speaking directly to an audience, involving them in the emotions of his performance. Based on his personal experience of seeing his mother deteriorate and die with Alzheimer's and on intensive research, Pip's character takes the audience with him on a journey full of smiles, laughter, respect and tears.


Christina Murdock’s Dangerous Giant Animals is a darkly comedic show about finding your voice amid your sister's screams. Funny and daring, this new one-woman play explores how surreal, challenging, and remarkable disability in a family can be. Featuring divas and dinosaurs, this is a middle child story about growing up too soon alongside a sister who never will. The play won the 2018 SIT-Up Award at this year's Edinburgh Festival, was shortlisted for the 2018 Clean Break EdFringe Support Award and was selected for New York's United Solo Theatre Festival 2018.
 

Book Now for And Before I Love You, I Love You

Book Now for Dangerous Giant Animals


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Fabulous 5th Birthday Gala

13 June 2018

We had a wonderful time celebrating 5 years of Park Theatre with a 5th birthday gala evening. We were joined by our friends and supporters and a fabulous night was had by all! Take a look through the event images. 

 


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Park Theatre awarded vital funding to secure the building

13 November 2017

Park Theatre has recieved £5,000 towards replacement of its alarm system from Theatres Trust, the national advisory public body for theatres. Five small theatres in London will benefit from the second round of the Theatres Trust London Theatres Small Grants Scheme. The awards have been made to theatres in need of immediate repairs, addressing accessibility issues and improving conditions for staff, performers and audiences.


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2018 Jan - Jun season announced

16 October 2017

Artistic Director Jez Bond today announces Park Theatre’s new Jan - Jun 2018 season. Priority booking is now open for Park Theatre friends for 3 days. General booking opens 10am Thursday 19 October.


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Script Accelerator Shortlist 2017

15 August 2017

We are pleased to release the short list of producors for our script accelerator programme. The level of competition this year was incredibly high, so a huge thank you to all that submitted and good luck to everyone in the next stage!

Script Accelerator 2017 Shortlist

  • Abbigale Duncan
  • Alex Brown
  • Amy Blakelock/Paradox Theatre Co
  • Asia Osborn/Beth Eyre
  • Will Adolphy & Flux Theatre Co
  • Emma Murton/NorthSee Theatre Co
  • Flavio Graff/Zero Open Studio
  • George Warren/ Metal Rabbit
  • Natasha Chandra/Namashkar
  • Oliver Bennett
  • Unbound Productions

For more information about Script Accelerator, and to apply to be a mentee, click here

Producers will be announced by 6pm on 29th August, so please watch this space!


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City Bridge Trust funding for Park Theatre

15 August 2017

We are pleased to announce that we have been awarded a three-year grant from the City of London Corporation’s charitable funder, City Bridge Trust. This is to fund our accessible performance programme, install evacuation chairs throughout the venue to support disabled patrons, implement adaptations to our website and integrate access training throughout our organisation, to offer a warm and inclusive welcome to everyone visiting Park Theatre.

 

“This is a theatre that was built to be enjoyed by as many people as possible, both in Finsbury Park and beyond. With help from the City Bridge Trust, we can continue supporting D/deaf and disabled audiences through to 2020.” Jez Bond | Artistic Director 

 

David Farnsworth, Director of City Bridge Trust, said:

“The Trust is delighted to be able to support this vital work enabling D/deaf and disabled Londoners to access performances at Park Theatre. We firmly believe that the arts should be fully accessible to everyone, regardless of their background or circumstances.”

 

Thank you City Bridge Trust from all of us at Park Theatre.

 

 


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Ian McKellen Trailer - Watch Now

14 July 2017

Over £275,000 raised for Park Theatre (a charity that receives no public subsidy) in one week through Ian's incredible donation of Shakespeare, Tolkien, Others & You and the support of everyone who attended.


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Ian McKellen Auction Now Live!

28 June 2017

Bid online to win tickets to see Ian McKellen live on stage along with stays in five-star luxury hotels (including The Dorchester, Claridges and May Fair), gourmet dinners and further theatre tickets.


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Cast announced for Joe Orton's LOOT

19 June 2017

Rising British stars Calvin Demba (Evening Standard Emerging Talent Award nominee, The Red Lion, National Theatre), Sam Frenchum (Private Peaceful, Grantchester) and award-winning Sinéad Matthews (Mrs Elvsted in Ivo van Hove’s Hedda Gabler, National Theatre), are to star in the 50th anniversary production of Joe Orton’s darkly comic masterpiece, LOOT.


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50's frivolity at our 4th Birthday Gala!

24 May 2017

Watch the video from the Park Theatre 4th Birthday Gala. A huge thank you to everyone who came out (and in style!) to support Park Theatre on 9 May at our 4th Birthday Gala performance of Madame Rubinstein. It was a fabulous star studded evening full of friends, glamour, champagne and cocktails. What more could we ask for - here's to the next 4 years! THANK YOU!


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Park Theatre announce 10th anniversary Summer / Autumn 2023 season

  • Rufus Hound and Samuel West to star in a comedy by Adrian Edmondson and Nigel Planer

  • Other season highlights include theatre based on stereotype-defying Anime and novel, and a show asking what would happen if we let an app make our life choices

  • Jonathan Maitland pens a new drama about Princess Diana’s interview with Martin Bashir  

  • Other shows include a drama about rugby and mental health, and a migration story with the roles reversed

 

As it starts its 10th anniversary celebrations, Park Theatre is delighted to announce its Summer / Autumn 2023 season. The season that takes audiences from mental health in sport to life choices that are app controlled, from a dystopian Europe to an Icelandic avalanche in a comedy by Adrian Edmondson and Nigel Planer, and from theatre based on Anime to an exploration of that Princess Diana nterview.

The season begins in Park90 with Bones (5 – 22 July), a new writing, physical theatre production about rugby that tackles mental health. Ed is used to getting injured playing rugby, but he's never faced an injury that he couldn't see before. When his mental health makes it feel like he's taking on an entire rugby team by himself, will his teammates stand by his side or remain seated on the side-line?  

Moving from mental health to intellectual choices, in Park200 new play Disruption (7 July – 5 Aug) asks what happens if we let an app make our life choices in a timely and insightful exploration of our tech obsessed world by Andrew Stein. After tremendous Silicon Valley success and a big exit, Nick presents his three best friends with his next big idea: an algorithm that is more complex than the human brain and promises to guide them through big life decisions better and more effectively than they can guide themselves. In an era where every aspect of human life has been documented with data and disrupted by technology, do computers know us better than we know ourselves? And even if they do, should we listen? 

Next in Park200, The Garden of Words (10 Aug – 9 Sep) is a global premiere based on the stereotype-defying Anime and novel by Makoto Shinkai. Takao and Yukari are escaping. Whilst seeking solace in a Japanese garden, an out-of-step woman and an offbeat teenager meet by chance. Social misfits with a shared sense of loneliness, the unlikely pair bond over classical poetry, shoemaking and bad cooking. But the heartfelt companionship that could save them might also ruin them…

From Japan to Iceland, It’s Headed Straight Towards Us (13 Sep – 20 Oct) sees actor-comedians Adrian Edmondson and Nigel Planer join forces in a comedy about two actors stuck in a trailer on the side of a volcano. The glacier is melting, the volcano is active. Bitter rivalries emerge between fussy ‘bit part’ actor Hugh Delavois (Samuel West) and fading Hollywood bad boy Gary Savage (Rufus Hound), going back to their time at college together, as the film they are meant to be working on collapses around them and the trailer they are in begins to slip. 

As the Park200 stage hosts an Icelandic avalanche, the Park90 stage sees a Europe that has already faced catastrophe in Sorry We Didn’t Die At Sea (13 – 30 Sep) by Italian theatre-maker Emanuele Aldrovandi, a darkly comic, absurdist, and political piece offers us a story of migration where the roles are reversed. It’s the near future and Europe has failed. A domino effect of nationalist, isolationist policies has left the continent’s economies on the brink of collapse, and the very individuals who wanted to close its borders to immigrants are forced to flee across the seas. In a claustrophobic shipping container, three unnamed travellers place their lives at the mercy of a mysterious people-smuggler.

Finally, moving into autumn, The Interview (27 Oct – 25 Nov) by Jonathan Maitland and presented by Original Theatre is about the interview between Princess Diana and Martin Bashir that shocked the world. It was watched by hundreds of millions worldwide. But now, it is said, the interview has no legitimacy. Is it right that the way it came about has overshadowed what it was meant to be? The Interview poses tough questions: What can we justify in the pursuit of truth? Can we trust our great institutions? And are we ever, really, in control of our own narrative…our legacy? 

Artistic director Jez Bond said, “As our 10th Birthday approaches I’m delighted to announce our next season; six new extraordinary pieces of theatre. From the political to the purely comic, the array of shows look back, forward and directly at the present. With a mixture of new and familiar faces gracing the stage, we’re thrilled to open our doors to all."

 

Listing:

Bones I 5 – 22 July

Disruption I 7 July – 5 Aug

The Garden of Words I 10 Aug – 9 Sep

It’s Headed Straight Towards Us I 13 Sep – 20 Oct

Sorry We Didn’t Die At Sea I 13 – 30 Sep

The Interview 27 Oct – 25 Nov


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Park Theatre’s Autumn/Winter Season Focuses on Emerging Artists and Uplifting Work

  • Park 200’s Christmas show is a comic retelling of epic sci-fi novel The Time Machine starring The Goes Wrong Show’s Dave Hearn

  • Other season highlights include family drama about Indian cultural heritage, Passing and The Nag’s Head, a horror comedy set in rural England featuring original folk music

  • Park Theatre sees the new year in with the UK premiere of Korean-Canadian comedy Kim’s Convenience, the inspiration behind the beloved Netflix sitcom

  • Park Theatre is excited to welcome back the sold-out and critically acclaimed Leaves of Glass

 

Park Theatre have announced the new shows in their Autumn/Winter season, which will explore a range of themes from cultural heritage to toxic masculinity, as well as a variety of uplifting and comic work.

We’re also announcing this year’s festive programme, made up of two productions: The Time Machine – A Comedy, a fast-paced, wise-cracking adaptation of H. G. Wells’ classic novel; and 21 Round for Christmas, a raucous and relatable one woman show about cooking Christmas dinner for an enormous family.

The season opens in Park 90 with Edinburgh Fringe favourite Candy (22 Aug – 9 Sep) making its London debut. This one-man comedy drama explores identity, toxic masculinity and the complexity of love as single Northerner, Will, starts falling in love with his best friend in drag.

Another dark comedy to hit the Park90 stage, the UK premiere of The Nag’s Head (17 – 28 Oct) featuring original music from folk band Good Habits, and real paranormal accounts from rural England, to explore the story of three estranged siblings who return home after the death of their father. Burdened with their dad's failing pub and a weird painting, they must decide whether to work together to save The Nag's Head or succumb to their inner demons.

Following on in Park90, Passing (1 – 25 Nov) shines a light on the modern biracial experience as Rachel desperately tries to hold on to her Indian heritage after her grandad falls ill. She attempts to host the family’s first celebration of Diwali and, in the process, explores the tensions in familial relationships and the loss of culture through generations, with humour and insight.

Ikaria (28 Nov – 2 Dec) is presented on the Park90 stage next in a punchy and thoughtful love story about finding salvation in someone else, while also exploring men’s mental health. Simon wants to keep his head down and get through his finals at university, while first-year student Mia is enjoying her first taste of freedom in life away from home.

Moving on to Park Theatre’s exciting festive programme, this Christmas The Time Machine – A Comedy (30 Nov – 30 Dec) takes centre stage at Park 200. Starring Michael Dylan (Wilf), Dave Hearn (founding member of the Olivier Award-winning Mischief Theatre, The Goes Wrong Show) and Amy Revelle (Offside), this play within a play is a fast-paced and hilarious (loose) retelling of H G Wells’ post-apocalyptic science fiction novel. Three actors are planning to stage The Time Machine when they realise that they have actually managed to achieve time travel, embarking on a comic journey of a lifetime. 

Also for the festive season is 21 Round for Christmas (6 – 23 Dec), a comical and chaotic one-woman show about memory, friendship and regrets. Tracy, a day-dreaming, outspoken and extroverted-introvert is trapped in the kitchen cooking Christmas dinner for her huge fussy family while her best friend is lying in a hospice. She just wants to go back to happier times.

Kicking off the new year at Park Theatre is the UK premiere of the feel-good comedy that inspired the Netflix hit, Kim’s Convenience (8 Jan – 10 Feb), in Park200. The hilarious and heartfelt comedy drama tells the story of the Kim’s and their family-run Korean convenience store in Toronto, written by and starring Ins Choi. The show pays homage to generations of immigrants who have made Canada the country that it is today. 

Finally, Park Theatre are welcoming back Philip Ridley’s Leaves of Glass (16 Jan – 10 Feb) to Park90 after its sell-out success and critical acclaim earlier this year by long time collaborators, Lidless Theatre. Steven has always tried to be a good person. He works hard. He looks after his family. But, suddenly, everyone starts accusing him of things. His wife accuses him of being unfaithful. His mother accuses him of being coercive. And his brother, Barry, accuses him of...what exactly?

 

Listing: 

The Garden of Words I 10 Aug – 9 Sep

Candy I 22 Aug – 9 Sep

It’s Headed Straight Towards Us I 13 Sep – 20 Oct

Sorry We Didn’t Die At Sea I 13 – 30 Sep

The Nag's Head I 17 Oct – 28 Oct

The Interview I 27 Oct – 25 Nov

Passing I 1 Nov – 25 Nov

Ikaria I 28 Nov – 2 Dec

The Time Machine - A Comedy I 30 Nov – 30 Dec

21 Round for Christmas I 6 Dec – 23 Dec

Kim's Convinience I 8 Jan – 10 Feb

Leaves of Glass I 16 Jan – 10 Feb


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