Park Theatre | News https://parktheatre.co.uk/ Located less than thirty seconds from Finsbury Park station, Park Theatre is only minutes from the West End. en-gb
Notice: Undefined variable: regional in /home/parktheatrecouk/parktheatre.co.uk/public_html/rss/news.php on line 31
Announcing Five New Shows Coming This Summer https://parktheatre.co.uk/news/announcing-five-new-shows-coming-this-summer https://parktheatre.co.uk/news/announcing-five-new-shows-coming-this-summer Fri, 15 Mar 24 00:00:00 +0000
Notice: Undefined variable: i in /home/parktheatrecouk/parktheatre.co.uk/public_html/rss/news.php on line 48
Park Theatre Offers Free Space to Local Artists https://parktheatre.co.uk/news/park-theatre-offers-free-space-to-local-artists https://parktheatre.co.uk/news/park-theatre-offers-free-space-to-local-artists Thu, 07 Mar 24 00:00:00 +0000 From Spring 2024, Park Theatre will trial offering free space to local artists and companies of any theatrical genre for them to work on their next script or show.]]> Park Theatre Receives Theatres Trust Grant Towards Environmental Sustainability https://parktheatre.co.uk/news/park-theatre-receives-theatres-trust-grant-towards-environmental-sustainability https://parktheatre.co.uk/news/park-theatre-receives-theatres-trust-grant-towards-environmental-sustainability Tue, 05 Mar 24 00:00:00 +0000 We are delighted to announce that we are recipients of grant support through the Theatres Trust Theatre Improvement Scheme in association with the Wolfson Foundation.

]]>
Papatango Launches New Writing Prize in Partnership with Park Theatre https://parktheatre.co.uk/news/papatango-launches-new-writing-prize-in-partnership-with-park-theatre https://parktheatre.co.uk/news/papatango-launches-new-writing-prize-in-partnership-with-park-theatre Wed, 17 Jan 24 00:00:00 +0000 We are delighted to announce a new partnership with Papatango, alongside the launch of their 2024 New Writing Prize, which will see the winning play co-produced by Park Theatre in a full run in Park200 in 2025.

]]>
Enjoy Delicious Park Pizza On Your Visit https://parktheatre.co.uk/news/enjoy-delicious-park-pizza-on-your-visit https://parktheatre.co.uk/news/enjoy-delicious-park-pizza-on-your-visit Thu, 07 Dec 23 00:00:00 +0000 Big Give Christmas Challenge 2023 https://parktheatre.co.uk/news/big-give-christmas-challenge-2023 https://parktheatre.co.uk/news/big-give-christmas-challenge-2023 Tue, 28 Nov 23 00:00:00 +0000 We are delighted to be taking part in the Big Give Christmas Challenge 2023.

]]>
2024 Season Announced https://parktheatre.co.uk/news/2024-season-announced https://parktheatre.co.uk/news/2024-season-announced Mon, 30 Oct 23 00:00:00 +0000
  • 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. 

     

    ]]>
    Five new shows added to our 2023 Spring Season https://parktheatre.co.uk/news/five-new-shows-added-to-our-2023-spring-season https://parktheatre.co.uk/news/five-new-shows-added-to-our-2023-spring-season Tue, 24 Jan 23 00:00:00 +0000 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

    ]]>
    Six smashing new plays announced in Park Theatre's Spring 2023 season https://parktheatre.co.uk/news/six-smashing-new-plays-announced-in-park-theatres-spring-2023-season https://parktheatre.co.uk/news/six-smashing-new-plays-announced-in-park-theatres-spring-2023-season Wed, 02 Nov 22 00:00:00 +0000
  • 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

    ]]>
    Park Theatre’s Summer to Autumn season announced https://parktheatre.co.uk/news/park-theatres-summer-to-autumn-season-announced https://parktheatre.co.uk/news/park-theatres-summer-to-autumn-season-announced Wed, 04 May 22 00:00:00 +0000 Dame Maureen Lipman and A Single Man in Park Theatre’s Summer to Autumn season

    ]]>