We’ve got stories of love, loss, and revolution, pioneering women of history, the truth behind parenting, and human hands as you’ve never seen them before. New writing, musicals, immersive theatre, puppetry, and a whole mini-season of clowning. Plus of course – the mighty Foreword Festival…
17 shows. One summer. Must be a #spacesummer
Kicking things off strong in May, Foreword Festival celebrates the brightest in rising stage talent. The festival features four debut plays from playwrights with real promise. Chosen from our ScriptSpace development program, the plays will be produced by Space Productions: the Off West End Award nominated, home grown, professional theatre company at the Space.
First up in Foreword Festival is DELICACY by Mark Jones: A deliciously dark comedy about a normal family who try not to become monsters… and fail. When it’s reported in the press that the Gibson family have been embroiled in a gruesome neighbourhood murder, their lives are thrown into turmoil. In a TV interview they attempt to gain sympathy from the public, and manage to offend the entire UK population.
Written by Luke Stapleton, MYCORRHIZA is a universal black comedy about an unlikely friendship (and round two of Foreword Festival). Dean and Alicia are stranded on a remote Scottish island. The tide has come in and the Nik Naks have run out. But by digging up the past they uncover painful traumas, the roots of which go deep.
In the wonky haze of a bathroom at a house party, a group of friends discover sex, drugs, and whether you can still be manly with a glittery butterfly drawn on your face in SINK by Tobias Graham. Painfully awkward, funny and tragic, this a raucous celebration of young love and gender identity.
Finishing off Foreword Festival is Louise Breckon-Richards’ FOUR O’CLOCK FLOWERS. There’s a shrine outside Anna’s door. Candles. Empty energy drinks. A photograph of a teenage boy. As the crowds finally drift away, one woman remains and Anna has no choice to listen to what she has to say. A moving exploration of knife crime and the impact it has on the families who experience it
Up next: Off West End Award Nominated playwright Tori Allen-Martin presents WHO I COULD HAVE BEEN, a modern day love story of loss and change for anybody who ever faced regret. Newly launched TOO MUCH Theatre believes we are better together and better when we share individual stories, and we can’t wait for them to share theirs in June.
Summer’s in full swing by the time HOLY LAND comes to The Space. Three stories of online escapism and revolt interweave in this new show from Elegy, a company formed in 2018 from a shared love of words. Fusing together multimedia, vivid new writing and spoken word Holy Land is an excavation of the dark side of the internet and human nature.
Next up human hands move, morph and combine in unusual ways, creating simple organisms to giant beasts in HOPEFUL MONSTERS. A story of survival and struggle, of connection and transformation combining visual theatre, an original soundtrack and puppetry. Really has to be seen to be believed…
To follow, Therese Ramstedt’s new play FALL PRETTIER is a deconstruction of Medea that twists archetypal narratives about women. Expect glitter, movement, catchy a cappella tunes, bouncing exercise balls, pregnant barbie dolls… and the resilience of women standing up against their prescribed storylines. Naturally.
Set in 1940s Britain, discover the true, untold story of a collection of fierce, pioneering women who took to the skies in WWII to fight for victory alongside the allies. SPITFIRE SISTERS was selected from 110 entries for a staged reading at the Space last year and is directed by the Space’s very own Artistic Director Adam Hemming (The Castle, 2017 and Bluebird, 2018). A must see this summer.
Next up – are you ready for love this summer? Encompass Theatre Collective are bringing their unique, immersive show LOVERS ANONYMOUS to the Space. Selected as ‘Top Six to See’ (Love Camden) list at Camden Fringe 2018, Lovers Anonymous mixes theatre, movement and improvisation to ask what it is to be in (and out of) love in 2019.
In the heat of the summer, join Fluffy TOP Productions in their comedy musical PARENTHOOD. Written & composed by a husband and wife team, follow our parents as they embrace sleepless nights, guessing the doodles, school politics, teenage tantrums, figuring out when the hell they will get to have sex again, their children leaving home and the absolute delight of bring a grandparent.
Next up we are delighted to present ‘Send in the Clowns’, our mini season of the clowning! Meet Nathan and Ida Hardwerker, an unlikely duo who leave the old country to build a better life with nothing but a will to succeed and a secret recipe for sauce. Discover love, dice with danger and tangle with villains in this heart warming comedy NATHAN AND IDA’S HOT DOG STAND. Winner of Best Comedy, Buxton Fringe 2018, and Best Performance, Swindon Fringe 2018.
Award-winning duo Nathan and Ida have not one, but two shows in our Send In The Clowns mini-series. Playing alongside Nathan & Ida’s Hot Dog Stand is TROPEZ! Set against the glamorous backdrop of the French Riviera, a failed cat burglar and a gentle gigolo form an unlikely pair and take aim at the top of St-Trop! Their plan? To pull off the biggest jewel heist in history.
Fred has tired eyes and empty pockets but is sure to make you smile in an explosion of circus, puppetry, and physical comedy. COME FLY WITH FRED was inspired by many honest and moving interactions with London’s homeless community and created with the hope to shed light on the roller coaster life thousands live everyday… and make you chuckle along the way. Part of our ‘Send in the Clowns’ mini series…
“Sitting here. With no one watching. What’s the point? It’s not a life. But out there. Someone if waiting for us. For us. For specifically us. No one else.” ‘Send in the Clowns’ is rounded out by TWO CLOWNS SUFFER AN EXISTENTIAL CRISIS: Eric is crippled by stage fright but Harry wants to take the opportunity to perform something new. Then they discovery of a mysterious script. The script of the play they are in.
Female led theatre collective, The UnDisposables, return to The Space for the second time this year. In an enjoyably twisted mash up of Love Island, Shakespeare and Black Mirror, THE JAILER’S DAUGHTER challenges the conscious and unconscious bias against women in modern society…
Finishing our summer out classic & strong, CHEKHOV IN MOSCOW is a comic celebration of the great writer’s life, work and famous wit. Expect battles with authority, troublesome actors, and deadlines in this new comedy from Mike Carter. An unmissable show exploring a moment in time that, perhaps, changed theatre forever.
Not sure what to see? Well look no further than our Summer Season Launch Party on 5th May. Hosted by the Space’s very own Adam Hemming and Grace Chapman, enjoy a complimentary glass of fizz as we take you through what to expect from May to August with extracts from shows and the artists involved. The perfect way to welcome the sunshine…
Can’t work out what to see? Come along to our SEASON LAUNCH PARTY on 5th May, 6pm for a sneak peek at the shows, a chance to meet the artists and drink free fizz! Tickets just £5….
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