Spring Brochure 2018

PLEASANCE

SPRING 2018

SEASON BROCHURE

020 7609 1800 • www.pleasance.co.uk

Pleasance Theatre Islington Since opening our doors in 1995, the Pleasance remains one of the most innovative and inspiring fringe theatres in London. Opportunities to develop artistic ideas are becoming harder to find. At the Pleasance we believe it is important to give people the space and freedom to take risks. The Pleasance is renowned for spotting great talent both on and off stage, building an environment that encourages and develops the brightest new ideas, raw talent and skill. This coming season we are proud to present some of the most exciting new theatre and comedy on the fringe and we look forward to welcoming you.

Pleasance Futures For over 30 years the Pleasance has provided a platform and launch pad for a great many artists at both the Edinburgh Festival Fringe and at Pleasance London.

The Pleasance has also supported a great many individuals in associated creative, administrative and technical roles. We call this wealth of experience and support Pleasance Futures.

Pleasance Futures offers a variety of initiatives for an array of individuals both on and off stage. From carpenters, crew and electricians to photographers, reviewers, bloggers and film-makers, the Pleasance recognises how important those first opportunities into the creative industries can be. Providing these opportunities is why we exist. We want to develop these further and with your support there is so much more we can do Find out more at www.pleasance.co.uk/futures

With special thanks to our patrons Ellie and Duncan McKinnon Laura and Danny Masters Campbell Armour Karen and Dan Docwra Richard Cockburn and Susan McGrath Chris and Laura Hodgson Valerie and David Lindsay Tim Wishart

As a patron you can benefit from regular patrons’ updates, discounted tickets, invitations to various patron events, an invitation to our Festival Launch Gala in Edinburgh and much, much more.

To find out more about becoming a patron please visit: www.pleasance.co.uk/patrons

The Royal Central School of Speech & Drama

The Sound and the Fury

Pleasance Futures & The Charlie Hartill Special Reserve Fund

The Theatre Reserve Try-Outs 2018

©Getty Images

21st - 24th February 7:30 pm, 2:30 pm, 7:00 pm £12 (£10 Concession) Directed by Sasha Milavic Davies.

Devised and performed by Acting CDT with BA Theatre Practice. This classic novel set in Mississippi in the first quarter of the of the 20th century traces the decline of the once aristocratic Compson family. The tale is narrated by the three Compson brothers: an idiot, an academic and an embezzler and the family servant, Dilsey Gibson. This is a story for our times about frustrated identity and the power struggle between men and women. William Faulkner’s richly textured writing weaves together luscious fragments of imagery and compelling characters, inspiring this subtle and beautiful theatrical portrait of a decaying family.

The Sound and the Fury (c) Faulkner Literary Rights LLC. All rights reserved. Used with permission, Lee Caplin, Executor.

26th & 27th February 7:00 pm

£6.50

Join us for a sneak peak at a wide range of innovative and ambitious new shows as companies vie for the chance to receive the Charlie Hartill Special Reserve Fund for Theatre 2018. The Fund offers the rare and extraordinary support of £10,000 to present a fully produced play at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, and has previously supported an array of hugely successful productions including the sellout run of Flesh and Bone in 2017 which was awarded a Fringe First and the Holden Street Theatres Award.

More information about the fund and how to apply can be found on our website. Applications close on the 7th February.

Acting CDT is in creative partnership with Complicité

020 7609 1800 www.pleasance.co.uk

£1 transaction fee per ticket on telephone and online bookings, capped at £5

From Ground Up & The Pleasance

(RE)PRESENTED

27th February - 18th March 7:45 pm, 5:30 pm £13 (£11 Concession) (RE)PRESENTED is a new initiative produced and presented by From Ground Up Theatre Company in association with the Pleasance Theatre.

The company will be formed of recent graduates from UK drama schools who left without formal representation. Over 250 people applied to be part of the company, with applications from alumni of every Federation of Drama Training affiliate school, all applicants were offered an audition with feedback and we have selected the most suitable to develop a brand new play with director Tommo Fowler (Jam, Finborough Theatre) and writer Kieran Knowles (Operation Crucible, Finborough Theatre and UK Tour, Chicken Soup, Sheffield Crucible).

The play will evolve through collective research and development and the roles will be specifically written for each of the actors offering them both a platform to showcase their talent and an opportunity to be part of creating new and exciting work.

020 7609 1800 www.pleasance.co.uk

£1 transaction fee per ticket on telephone and online bookings, capped at £5

Les Enfants Terrible

LET Awards

2nd March 7:00 pm

Les Petits Theatre Company

Captain Flinn and the Pirate Dinosaurs 2: The Magic Cutlass

£7 (£5 Concession)

The LET Award, now in its seventh year, is offering an emerging company the opportunity to take an exciting, risk-taking piece of theatre to The Pleasance for the Edinburgh Fringe Festival 2018.

This showcase sees a cohort of young companies present small sections of their work to an industry panel of judges.

Over the 16 years of their existence Les Enfants Terribles have become firm festival favourites, winning huge critical acclaim and a host of awards – and despite their work now touring extensively, transferring to London’s West End and travelling all over the word they have maintained their presence and dedication to The Edinburgh Fringe Festival.

The award provides: • A cash injection of £1000 • A guaranteed slot at The Pleasance Theatre 2018 • Industry mentoring For more information and to apply please go to www.lesenfantsterribles.co.uk/awards/

020 7609 1800 www.pleasance.co.uk

3rd & 4th March 2:30 pm £12 (£10 Concession) Flinn is back! Les Petits return with the sequel to their highly successful Captain Flinn and the Pirate Dinosaurs based on the book by Giles Andreae and Russell Ayto.

Join Flinn in an action-packed adventure as he attempts to rescue his kidnapped friends who have been forced to hunt for the Magic Cutlass by his nemesis the tyrannical Mr T-Rex! Vividly engaging’ ★ ★ ★ ★ The Stage ‘Les Petits have executed this sequel with lively invention’ ★ ★ ★ ★ List ‘A fun treat for all young aspiring pirate and dinosaur fans’ Theatre and Tea @PetitsTheatre #FlinnCutlass www.lespetitstheatre.com

£1 transaction fee per ticket on telephone and online bookings, capped at £5

★★★★★-“A dynamic, energetic and overall marvellous showcase of talent” Broadway Baby

PLEASANCE PRESENTS

Are you aged 16-21 and interested in making exciting new theatre on or off stage?

HU B

THE HOME OF ALL THINGS FUNNY

Join the Young Pleasance.

Tickets £5.00

We will be casting for our 2018 Edinburgh Fringe production at the end of January and will also be holding Easter workshops.

Come and be a part of this award-winning young company!

Time Out Critics’ Choice

Find out more pleasance.co.uk/yp or email youngpleasance@pleasance.co.uk

Dates 5th Feb 5th Mar 2nd April 7th May

0207 609 1800 pleasance.co.uk Check website for line-ups

PSYCHEdelight & CabuwaziZirkus

Borderline & Woodway Road 6th - 11th March 7:30 pm £14 (£10 Concession) The sell out satire of the Calais Jungle returns to London after an international tour. Borderline was devised and performed by a cast of European and refugee performers and directed by Sophie NL Besse. Beyond the show, it’s an important human adventure - and was recently shortlisted for the Community Integration Awards.

Why a comedy?

“I had enough sadness. I love making people laugh, it makes me feel better” Enayat, 17, Afghanistan

“High comedy amidst the poignancy. Powerful.

Important.” Huffington Post (for Borderline)

“Because we are not poor miserable people. We don’t want pity.” Baraa, Syria

And we’re not coming alone!

We found a treasure on tour and brought it back for you to enjoy. CabuwaziZirkus’ ensemble MOVE! from Berlin will present their beautiful show, Woodway Road Featuring artists from refugee and non-refugee backgrounds, Woodway Road blends circus, theatre and music in a piece about society, encounter and arrival, trial and error and the magic of collective creation.

We’d also like to thank Counterpoints Arts, a leading national organisation in the field of arts, migration and social change, whose mission is to support and produce the arts by and about migrants and refugees, for hosting this week of workshops, discussions and performances with us.

Woodway Road

020 7609 1800 www.pleasance.co.uk

£1 transaction fee per ticket on telephone and online bookings, capped at £5

The Pleasance

LSDF

12th March & 25th June 7:30 pm

13th & 15th March 7:00 pm £8 (£6 Concession)

A Pleasance Scratch

£6.50

A Pleasance Scratch is an evening of variety, ideas and fun; a chance to see artists present brave, new work at the first stages of development and to offer your thoughts and feedback to the creative process.

Past shows from the Scratch have gone on to full productions in London, and at the Edinburgh Fringe, as well as touring across the UK. More information on how to apply and the programme once it’s been announced can be found on our website. Applications close on the 2nd February.

020 7609 1800 www.pleasance.co.uk

London Student Drama Festival

For its 6th year, the London Student Drama Festival returns to offer a range of performance, educational and social opportunities to the students within and around London. After last year’s excellently received quinquennial celebrations we are excited to return to the Pleasance for our new-writing competition semi-finals.

London’s finest student writers, directors, actors, designers and producers will be hitting the stage with short pieces of new-writing to try and get through to the top four and perform in the finals.

As the birth place of multiple award winning shows that have gone onto the Edinburgh Festival Fringe and the VAULT Festival, we are excited to see what this year’s students have to offer our audiences and our judges. Don’t miss out on London’s most exciting new-writing festival for students!

£1 transaction fee per ticket on telephone and online bookings, capped at £5

Jo Sarsby Management

So You Think You Know About Dinosaurs?!

16th - 18th March 5:30pm, 2:30pm & 11:30 am £15.50 (£12.50 Concession) So You Think You Know About Dinosaurs is the hit stage show starring dinosaur aficionado Dr Ben Garrod. Get ready to go on an exciting prehistoric adventure as Ben talks you through the deadliest predators that ever roamed the planet.

Yes dinosaurs such as Tyrannosaurus rex, Allosaurus and Spinosaurus would have walked or swam right where you are now!

Pitting the knowledge of unwitting parents against their all-knowing kids, Dr Ben presents an interactive, educational and highly entertaining show using film footage from the BBC’s ‘Planet Dinosaur’. So come and test your knowledge against Dr Ben in this hit live interactive show which is bigger and better than ever.

020 7609 1800 www.pleasance.co.uk

Coming soon!

Pleasance Downstairs

A new third theatre space for Pleasance London March 2018

£1 transaction fee per ticket on telephone and online bookings, capped at £5

Sevans Productions

Assassins The musical

Music and Lyrics by STEPHEN SONDHEIM Book by JOHN WEIDMAN

20th March - 8th April 7:30 pm, 2:30 pm, 5:00 pm £18 (£16 Concession)

“You wanna shoot a president?”

Over the last 152 years, 9 Americans have tried to kill – no, assassinate - 8 American presidents, only 4 of them successfully.

Why? Sondheim’s Assassins tells us the story of these ambitious, deluded, passionate, desperate people who believed that the solution to their problems was to shoot the guy in charge.

From the composer of Into the Woods, Sweeney Todd, Follies and Sunday in the Park with George, Stephen Sondheim’s Assassins

020 7609 1800 www.pleasance.co.uk

£1 transaction fee per ticket on telephone and online bookings, capped at £5

comes to the Pleasance Theatre, Islington for a limited 3-week run. In a new production directed by Louise Bakker, Sondheim’s charming score goes to dark, bold and hysterical places showing us people who made history by simply pulling a trigger…

ASSASSINS is based on an idea by Charles Gilbert Jr.

“When you kill a president, it isn’t murder.

Murder is a tawdry little crime, born of greed, lust, or liquor. Adulterers and shopkeepers get murdered. But when a President gets killed, when Julius Caesar got killed… he was assassinated.”

First Broadway production, 2004, Roundabout Theatre Company, Todd Haimes, Artistic Director

Original orchestration by Michael Starobin Playwright Horizons Inc., New York City, produced ASSASSINS off-Broadway in 1990

Performed by arrangement with Music Theatre International (Europe) Limited

But does that make it right?

020 7609 1800 www.pleasance.co.uk

£1 transaction fee per ticket on telephone and online bookings, capped at £5

New Perspectives

The Giant Jam Sandwich

4th - 8th April 2:30 pm £12 (£10 Concession) One hot summer’s day, four million wasps invade the quiet village of Itching Down. Noisy, nasty and worst of all, they don’t mind who they sting! That is until the baker has an ingenious idea...

Following a hit run at the Edinburgh Festival, Jack McNamara’s inventive adaptation brings one of the best loved picture books to life on stage, complete with a jam-tastic soundtrack.

Described as ‘the best kind of children’s theatre’ (The Stage) and ‘perfect for fans and newbies alike’ (The List), this fun-packed feast is set to get a new generation buzzing.

Suitable for ages 3 - 12 ★★★★ The Scotsman ★★★★ The Stage ★★★★★ The List

020 7609 1800 www.pleasance.co.uk

£1 transaction fee per ticket on telephone and online bookings, capped at £5

Pleasance Futures & The Charlie Hartill Special Reserve Fund

The Comedy Reserve Try-Outs 2018

19th & 20th March 7:45 pm

£5

Now in its 14th fantastic year, the Pleasance Comedy Reserve - as part of the Charlie Hartill Special Reserve Fund - showcases the absolute best in brand new comedy talent.

Each year we hand-pick the most exciting and original up-and-coming comedians to take with us to the Edinburgh Festival Fringe.

They’ll perform alongside each other in a prime-time slot at the Pleasance throughout August, in a show that has, in past years, helped launch the careers of Jack Whitehall, Simon Brodkin, Roisin Conaty, Daniel Rigby and Holly Walsh. (Plus a whole load more!)

From all the applications, we will put together a truly exceptional shortlist of superb new acts, who will be taking to the stage over two consecutive nights with their best seven minutes of material.

And as well as performing in front of a panel of judges from the Pleasance, they will also be competing for your vote! So come along, vote for your favourites and have your say in who we take with us to the Fringe this summer.

Tickets are only £5.00 each, or you can book both nights together - and see all the shortlisted acts for just £8.00.

020 7609 1800 www.pleasance.co.uk

£1 transaction fee per ticket on telephone and online bookings, capped at £5

Lidless Theatre

Moonfleece

21st March - 15th April 7:30 pm, 2:30 pm, 5:30 pm £16 (£12 Concession) ‘You don’t live life as a story. You live it as life. The story comes after.’

An abandoned home. A lost brother. A secret love.

Curtis has arranged a meeting in a flat of a derelict tower block. As a child, Curtis lived happily here, but then tragedy struck and his elder brother died. Now, Curtis is seeing his brother’s ghost. With the aid of Gavin and Tommy, fellow members of the far right political party of which he is a leading figure, Curtis aims to find out why this ghost is haunting him.

Things, however, do not go as planned.

Two squatters now occupy the flat, and one of them has a story to tell – a story that will change Curtis’s life forever.

020 7609 1800 www.pleasance.co.uk

Moonfleece is an intense, thrilling, and humorous exploration of modern Britain. Its representation of the far right, racism, homophobia, and authority have become even more charged in the seven years after it premiered.

“The splendid Philip Ridley play ... A psychologically acute look at the emotional origins of BNP activism” Independent “An explosion of emotion.” British Theatre Guide “Ridley fires a powerful broadside against the hypocrisies of the far-right.” WhatsOnStage “Poetically – and politically – persuading” Time Out £1 transaction fee per ticket on telephone and online bookings, capped at £5

Colla Voce Theatre

Buried: A New Musical 10th - 15th April 7:30 pm £12 (£10 Concession)

“The definition of the phrase, one to watch” ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ Broadway Baby “One of those nuggets that is waiting to be found” ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ Musical Theatre Review “Possibly some of the best music you’ll hear in Edinburgh” The Stage

by Tom Williams and Cordelia O’Driscoll Winner of the NSDF Award 2017 One of The Stage’s Picks of the Fringe 2017 He’s a charming, young professional. She’s a sarcastic thrill-seeker. After their first date, this young and funloving couple form a unique relationship when they discover something special they have in common: they’re both serial killers.

Buried tells the story of Rose and Harry as they join forces, setting out on a trail of murder and deception while trying to navigate their way through the world of normal, adult relationships. Combining a beautiful, folk-inspired score with a bitingly funny script, this new musical puts a sinister spin on the traditional rom-com formula, examining the world of relationships when pushed to its extremes.

Pepperbox Theatre

Siberian Lights

16th - 28th April

17th - 29th April

Spiked

7:45pm

£12 (£10 Concession)

Dames

7:30pm, 2:30pm, 5:00pm £15 (£13 Concession)

Karen, Rozhin and Joanna, three mothers from different backgrounds, are thrown together in an A&E waiting room after their teenage children are taken ill at their London school.

Bridesmaids with less glamour, Women with less to say, A play with much less humour.

Set in a toilet.

Waiting anxiously for news, they come to realise they have more in common than they’d ever imagined. As each confronts the unresolved tensions in their lives, the boundaries between them break down, forcing them to question their own relationships and change their most heartfelt beliefs.

It’s 2am on some idle Friday. Six women collide in the only place for honesty… a club toilet.

Exploring the challenges of motherhood and segregation at the school gate, Spiked not only asks what drives us apart, but also offers hope as to what can bring us together.

020 7609 1800 www.pleasance.co.uk

Siberian Lights & Rachel Kraftman Productions present the world premiere of Dames. Dive into a cubicle of inebriated women drowning in their own word-vomit as six dysfunctional millennials struggle to make sense of the world beyond the powder-bog.

Charlotte Merriam’s debut play is a gloriously rude, obscure and shambolic depiction of a quarter life crisis.

£1 transaction fee per ticket on telephone and online bookings, capped at £5

Working Cast Productions & Small Things Theatre

A Gym Thing 30th April - 13th May 7:45pm, 5:00pm

£15 (£12 Concession) “After all if you’re in shape people notice you, and being ignored is the last thing you want to happen” Driven by a daily quest for perfection, Will takes us on a fast paced, sweaty, physical exploration of how the gym has strengthened and weakened his relationships, his physique and ultimately his life. A complex love story from a gym addict’s point of view, set within a 60 minute workout, A Gym Thing tackles body image and bigorexia (Body Dysmorphic Disorder), leaving those who don’t visit the gym with a greater understanding of ‘why we do what we do’.

A Gym Thing transfers to London after an exhilarating run at the Pleasance Courtyard, 2017 Edinburgh Festival.

020 7609 1800 www.pleasance.co.uk

‘Tom Vallen’s superb playing of his own script.

Required watching for anyone who finds themselves getting obsessive about selfimprovement. A Gym Thing never hammers its message home, instead making its points with a brutal elegance.’ ★ ★ ★ ★ The Scotsman

£1 transaction fee per ticket on telephone and online bookings, capped at £5

29th May-3rd June

Bring your play from page to stage See new writing at its freshest Reading Week connects playwrights and audiences, giving writers the opportunity to hear their scripts brought to life in a rehearsed reading and gain valuable feedback.

Join us for a week-long festival of new plays - you could be sitting beside the next Sarah Kane or Tom Stoppard!

Go to www.pleasance.co.uk/reading-week

Fools Rush In

A Murder Most Foley!

5th - 10th June 7:45 pm £12 (£10 Concession) A terrible murder has been committed at McDougal Manor and there is only one man who can solve it, the questionable Private Detective, Dick Reference!

This story follows our less than prolific Detective, as he finds himself on an island where murder is right around the corner. Lured into a large mansion, Dick finds himself trapped with a group of strangers all trying not to be the next victim! The guests (and indeed the suspects) include a suspicious Butler, an unhinged sea Captain and stable boy with an exhausting fascination for his four legged companions.

Using a live Foley desk, a live band and a colourful collection of characters, enjoy a comedy that breaks the sound barrier.

Join this new and exciting theatre company Fools Rush In, with their comedic thriller.

020 7609 1800 www.pleasance.co.uk

£1 transaction fee per ticket on telephone and online bookings, capped at £5

Box Office

Find us

Carpenters Mews, North Road, London, N7 9EF 020 7609 1800 www.pleasance.co.uk

UNDERGROUND Caledonian Road - Piccadilly line (5 minutes walk)

Mon - Sun 10am - 6pm

OVERGROUND Caledonian Road and Barnsbury (15 minutes walk)

Concessions

BUS Bus 393 stops right directly outside the theatre with buses 17, 91, 259 and N91 all stopping at Caledonian Road Underground Station, 5 minutes walk away.

On performance days the Box Office will remain open until the start of the final performance.

Concession rates (where advertised) are available with proof of status for Under 18s, Senior Citizens, Students, Registered Unemployed, Disabled, Visually Impaired, Deaf or Hard of Hearing Visitors. Carers and Personal Assistants can attend free of charge. Group and Schools discounts are available on selected events, please contact the Box Office directly.

PARKING Metered on-street parking is available outside the theatre Mon to Fri 10am 4:30pm with free parking evenings and weekends.

Booking fees Telephone and online bookings are subject to a ÂŁ1 transaction fee per ticket, capped at a maximum of ÂŁ5. Tickets can be collected anytime during Box Office opening hours or posted to you for an additional 50p.

Bookings made in person are not subject to a transaction fee.

Please note tickets sold are non-refundable and cannot be exchanged. Latecomers may not be admitted.

Access Pleasance Theatre strives to provide access for all. Our Main House is fully accessible via a lift from street level, we have infrared hearing system in both performance spaces, accessible toilets and Guide Dogs are welcome. Sadly at present our StageSpace does not have step free access.

Our aim is to make your visit as enjoyable as possible for further information or to discuss any access requirements please contact the Box Office.

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