Nov
23
12:00 PM12:00
Nov
15
10:30 AM10:30
Book publication: 'Auditioning: A National Theatre Backstage Guide'
I had the pleasure of discussing the audition process with Sam for her NT Guide on the subject, due to be released in May 2025
Auditions can often be the most feared aspect of being an actor and yet, as the author points out, casting directors are on the side of everyone who auditions for them. They want you to do well, feel confident about the audition and in turn give the director the confidence they need to choose you.
The insights and reassurances throughout this book provide a little-seen glimpse into the world of casting, helping you to understand how casting directors and directors view the process and what purpose the audition serves.
Casting director Sam Stevenson draws on her rich experience, from both her time as deputy head of casting at the National Theatre and her varied freelance career, to delve into the challenges and possibilities that you might face. She explores the intersecting, underlying principles of auditioning for stage and screen, whether you are meeting online, in-person or self-taping.
This book helps bridge the gap between you and the people who are making the decisions, to help it feel like a less scary process.
Sep
25
to Oct 25
0800 Cupid Dublin + Soho
Nightlife gatecrash, raucous cabaret and musical extrava-ganza; 0800 CUPID is a genre-defying queer countercultural opus from Irish hitmakers THISISPOPBABY that fizzes between performance and reality. After a sellout run in Dublin it transfers to Soho Theatre October 16-26th.
‘ Entertaining in every way. I laugh and cry: what more could you ask?’
★★★★★ Irish Times
Hailing from South London and a proud member of the Irish diaspora, Emer Dineen’s Irish Catholic family never quite understood why she was dressing up as a kinky cherub to sing dystopian love songs in sticky gay bars across London. Emer didn’t understand either, she just knew she was trying to put a shape on a feeling; a discomfort brought on by enforced isolation, or the city, the meaning crisis, loneliness epidemic, a lifetime online, the news, too much partying, telly, capitalism, self-checkouts, Pornhub, Shein. And whilst trying to make sense of this existential dread via the questionable medium of musical comedy, Emer’s life took an unexpected turn.
Through her drag persona, crumbling club-kid ‘Cupid’, Emer grapples with love in a lonely capitalist paradigm. Hungover, moulting and disorientated, our redundant deity battles with with modern life, unravelling Emer’s true story of navigating personal loss, dysfunctional relationships and finding meaningful connection in the city. (experiencing the sweet sting of meaningful connection where she least expected it)
0800 CUPID is an SOS (emergency) response to the swelling social anxiety of a post-pandemic pre-apocalyptic world, a camp catalyst for reconnection. It’s a musical march into and back from an existential brink.
Nov
5
8:00 PM20:00
Hamlet on BBC - Folio 400th Anniversary
Bristol Old Vic’s 2022 production of Hamlet, in which I play Horatio, will go out in a primetime slot, on the evening of Sunday 5th November 2023 on BBC Four.
The production forms part of the BBC’s Shakespeare season, celebrating the 400th anniversary of the publication of the First Folio.
Full details for the rest of the season can be found here:
Oct
27
7:00 PM19:00
PalFest Presents: Nakba - A Century of Resistance & Solidarity
** Khalid Abdalla — Tamim Barghouti — Julie Christie— Esther Freud — Mohammed Hanif —Abdulrazak Gurnah — Rashid Khalidi — Soweto Kinch — Sabrina Mahfouz — Tobias Menzies — Andrew O'Hagan — Vanessa Redgrave — Harriet Walter — Isabel Adomakoh Young **
Join some of the biggest names of stage and page to mark 75 Years of ongoing Nakba and steadfast resistance - a night of performance, poetry, music and reflection that will journey through a century of struggle, colonization and insistence on life.
Actors will bring to life words from the past, beloved authors will reflect on the present.
With live music from Soweto Kinch.
This is a one night only, one time only event organised by the Palestine Festival of Literature & Friends. Tickets at £15 standard and £12 for students.
Oct
6
7:00 PM19:00
If It Please You - Sam Wannamaker Playhouse Cabaret
On 6 October, If It Please You brings a night of glam, drag and high camp by candlelight (inspired by Shakespeare) in the Sam Wanamaker Playhouse.
Starring in As You Like It as Orlando and Rosalind this summer, Isabel Adomakoh Young (founding member of Pecs Drag Kings), and Nina Bowers (actor, theatre maker and drag king) curate queer cabaret and conversation paying homage to the performance of gender that began on the Shakespearean stage, celebrating an artform whose roots go back centuries.
Further details on performers and acts will be announced in due course.
Aug
28
7:30 PM19:30
PalFest @ RGS - performance, poetry, music and reflection
** Khalid Abdalla — Tamim Barghouti — Julie Christie— Esther Freud — Mohammed Hanif —Abdulrazak Gurnah — Rashid Khalidi — Sabrina Mahfouz — David Morrissey — Andrew O'Hagan — Juliet Stevenson — Harriet Walter — Isabel Adomakoh Young **
Join some of the biggest names of stage and page to mark 75 Years of ongoing Nakba and steadfast resistance - a night of performance, poetry, music and reflection that will journey through a century of struggle, colonization and insistence on life.
Actors will bring to life words from the past, beloved authors will reflect on the present.
Organised by the Palestine Festival of Literature & Friends.
Tickets at £15 standard and £12 for students for maximum accessibility.
Bar until 11pm.
Aug
18
to Oct 29
As You Like It @ The Globe
18 AUGUST - 29 OCTOBER
I play Orlando opposite Nina Bowers as Rosalind in a raucous queer telling of this much-loved play.
In the court of Duke Frederick, division and distrust are rife. When Rosalind is banished, she runs away with her cousin Celia to the Forest of Arden. No longer governed by the court’s strict rules, they take the opportunity to explore new identities and find that the forest is a place where the possibilities for love and connection are infinite.
In this ancient community of nature, unexpected friendships are forged, curious minds meet, bitter enemies reconcile, and strangers fall in love. So meet us in our wooden ‘O’ and who knows what – or who – you might find?
Following 2017’s ‘superb’ ★★★★★ (WhatsOnStage) Othello , Director Ellen McDougall debuts in the Globe space with this exuberant tale of romance and redemption.
Jun
24
to Jun 26
Glastonbury Festival Immersive
Find me down the Rabbit Hole again this year! We will be bringing glorious Alice In Wonderland nonsense to life for select visitors to this topsy-turvy stage/VIP bar/ parallel universe. As the White Knight I’ll be activating spaces, initiating people into tea party traditions and challenging them to earn unique rewards into the early hours. I’m delighted to be returning to my happy place!
Jun
20
8:00 AM08:00
Foundation Series 2 launches July 14th
Apple TV will launch Season two of this epic sci fi series this summer and with it my Captain Timandra. I can’t wait to see what fans make of the even more ambitious second series of this adaptation of Asimov’s seminal books. Series 1 is available now on Apple TV.
May
14
to Jul 14
Modest UK Tour May-July 2023
Music hall, theatre and drag king swagger collide as Modest brings you Elizabeth Thompson – megastar of the Victorian art scene.
In 1874 Elizabeth stuns the Royal Academy with her painting, Roll Call. Five years later, she falls two votes short of becoming the first woman elected to the academy.
In between, she must shoulder the hopes and dreams of women across the country, while fighting for her place at a table full of top hats, ties and mutton chop beards.
Performed by a cast featuring the UK’s hottest drag talent, this electrifying new play will break your heart and start a revolution.
Written by Ellen Brammar (I Hate Alone) with music by Rachel Barnes, Modest is a great night out co-directed by Luke Skilbeck and Paul Smith. It features movement direction by Tamar and Jo, set design by QianEr Jin, costume design by Terry Herfield and sound design by Eliyana Evans.
Modest is a collaboration between Hull-based Middle Child and artist-led Milk Presents (JOAN, Trans Filth and Joy), two award-winning companies, developed with the support of the National Theatre’s Generate programme.
Hull Truck Theatre, Hull: 23-27 May
Northern Stage, Newcastle: 12-13 June
New Wolsey Theatre, Ipswich: 16-17 June
Stephen Joseph Theatre, Scarborough: 19-21 June
Slung Low Warehouse, Holbeck, Leeds : 23 June
Kiln Theatre, London: 29 June – 15 July
Apr
15
7:30 PM19:30
Belly of the Beast Rehearsed Reading
The world premiere staged reading of Belly of the Beast by Saana Sze, winner of the 2022 ETPEP Award, plays for one night at the multi-award-winning Finborough Theatre on Saturday, 15 April 2023 at 7.30pm.
YoungMartha, a bright and agreeable student, falls in love with Gia, who has had enough of school and teachers that don't care about girls like her...
NowMartha enters the teaching industry, optimistic about making a positive change, but soon begins a quick journey towards disillusionment when they realise the corporate hell they're in...
Black, non-binary and queer, YoungMartha and NowMartha are set against rigid systems which insist they conform.
Belly of the Beast examines school politics, from the standpoint of both student and a teacher, as it asks "What are schools for?"
Apr
6
7:00 PM19:00
Hamlet in Cinemas
This acclaimed production, in which I played Horatio, ran at Bristol Old Vic Theatre. It was selected as one of the Observer’s Best Shows of 2022.
The live broadcast has been edited for screen and will show in over 300 cinemas across the UK + Ireland from April 6th.
Mar
16
6:30 PM18:30
Reading at Royal Geographical Society
Ice Station RGS
With concerns increasing around the severe shift in the Earth’s climate, the Royal Geographical Society is working with artist Michèle Noach on an evening of immersive entertainment that aims to stimulate discussion and reflect on the feelings ice evokes in us all.
The Society’s building in South Kensington, London, will be transformed, offering the opportunity to hear from indigenous Arctic voices, those who have trekked to the poles, and individuals at the cutting edge of policy and research into our cold environments.
Appearances over the evening include:
Poet Nancy Campbell; materials scientist Mark Miodownik; actor and writer Isabel Adomakoh Young; writer, songwriter and granddaughter of Kathleen Scott, Louisa Young; musician and Penguin Café member Arthur Jeffes;
Musician and member of Hot Chip Alexis Taylor; visual and sound artist Max Eastley; artist and daughter of Augustine Courtauld Susie Hamilton; choreographer and dancer Suba Subramaniam; writer Michel Faber; science journalist Quentin Cooper;
Broadcaster John Simpson CBE and his son Rafe, polar oceanographer Mark Brandon, and scientists from the British Antarctic Survey, Scott Polar Research Institute and Greenpeace
Feb
23
10:30 PM22:30
PECS: ICONS at Vaults 2023
Stop. That’s iconic.
Pecs Drag Kings return to VAULT with their club cabaret extravaganza and this year, we’re bringing icons only.
Expect pop culture kings, TV highlights and quintessential queer royalty in a celebration of icons all kinds across history.
We’ll be joined by special guests from the best of London’s Drag scene and slick DJs to get you sweaty dancing all night long.
So scour your favourite programmes, flick through fashion moments and scroll through pop prominence because we want to see you decked out as your favourite icons. There will be a catwalk.
Dec
31
9:30 PM21:30
Year of the King! Pecs x NYE
Kings and Queers, it’s been a big year and for the first time ever PECS are sending it off with a bang for all their Pecs Pals in a love letter to the Drag King scene. Join us for a final 2022 cabaret club night extravaganza with PECS Kings, putting two fingers up to TERFS, Tories and the patriarchy in a celebration of Drag Kings far and wide.
31ST DECEMBER, 10:00PM-4AM
EXPECT…
★ PERFORMANCES FROM PECS AND GUESTS ★
★ DJS ALL NIGHT LONG ★ ★ HOT KING GO GO DANCERS ★
★ TAROT FOR TIPS ★
★ GAMES FOR GAYS ★
★ MIDNIGHT COUNTDOWN ★
TICKETS
General Admission— £16.50
Low / no income – £5
ACCESS
Our venue is flat throughout with a slightly uneven concrete floor. There are no steps at The Yard. We have an accessible toilet, and all our toilets are gender neutral.
Nov
23
to Nov 29
Nov
10
to Nov 11
Hamlet Live Online
Experience the star-studded performance of Hamlet from wherever you are in the world, broadcast live from Bristol’s stage to your screen.
Bristol Old Vic On Screen has announced two live broadcast dates for the theatre's upcoming production of Hamlet, coming to you wherever you are, on 10th and 11th November.
Captured by state-of-the-art cinematic technology, allowing us to get right up close to the action on stage, we'll broadcast the live production directly to you from this beautiful 255-year-old theatre to your screen as it happens – so you get the full live experience from the best seat in the house.
The live broadcast begins at 7.00pm GMT, with a live welcome from the foyer and some special behind the scenes footage, before the production starts at 7.30pm GMT.
As the event is live, you be unable to start late or pause the broadcast without missing some of the show, so make sure you join on time!
Oct
28
7:30 PM19:30
Pecs: Kings of Darkness
The kings of Pecs have taken a spooky turn and are back at Shoreditch Town Hall, bringing you their first Halloween special!
**NB I will not appear in this show as I’ll be in Hamlet**
A show filled with tricks and treats, and boy do we have treats, we’ll fill your cauldron full of London’s best Drag Kings and Things in a frighteningly camp cabaret. You’ll be so possessed with laughter, you’ll need a Pecsorcism.
Come ready with your sharpest fangs for a apple bobbing competition and keep your wits about you for any ghostly sightings.
Extra points to those who come in costume, because remember in Pecs world, Halloween is the one night a year where a queer can dress how they normally do, and nobody can say anything about it.
There is a limited number of £8 tickets available for anyone who would like to attend the show but who may struggle with the full price ticket. To buy one from this small allocation, please email info@shoreditchtownhall.com
Oct
13
to Nov 13
Hamlet at Bristol Old Vic
'Must I remember?'
Hamlet's father is dead. His mother has remarried. He is alone with his thoughts. Then, he speaks.
Haunted by grief, and with his world spinning violently out of control, Hamlet has to make some decisions: forget or remember; live or die.
Rising star Billy Howle (The Serpent; MotherFatherSon; On Chesil Beach) returns to Bristol Old Vic to play the title role.
This visceral new production directed by John Haidar (Richard III) excavates the dark subconscious of Shakespeare's greatest tragedy.
LIVE BROADCASTS online November 10 & 11th
“★ ★ ★ ★
Shadowy, impressionistic... Howle injects [Hamlet] with a sense of purpose and action”
Feb
16
7:00 PM19:00
'Like Dolls or Angels': Kings Head Theatre 50 Rehearsed Reading
The Kings Head Theatre presents ‘KHT50: Barstools to Broadway’. Join them in celebration of 50 years of fringe theatre, as we dive into the dusty archives and re-mount plays that started at this small but mighty pub theatre – many for the first time since their original staging.
Performers include Dame Harriet Walter and Gemma Whelan, as well as Joel and I who played Romeo and Juliet together last year! We’ll be directed by Complicité co-founder Annabel Arden.
Hannigan and Zuki want to get into the Guiness Book of Records. Well, Hannigan does and Zuki is his golden goose. With his band of talented women – including a harem of Death Wall motorbike performers – Hannigan is determined to make his fortune. But will everyone survive his ambition?
Like Dolls or Angels was my godfather Stephen Jeffreys’ first play. After winning The Sunday Times Playwriting Award at the National Student Drama Festival, this one act play transferred to the King’s Head in 1977.
With a post show discussion with Oliver Award Winning playwright and Dramaturg April De Angelis and special guests.
£10-50
CAST & CREATIVES
Director Annabel Arden
Assistant Director Lily Dyble
Zuki Isabel Adomakoh Young
Hannigan Joel MacCormack
Dec
31
to Jan 1
Winter Tales
a New Year 2021 event from the Shakespeare Ensemble
Watch the 38 Midnights around the world unfold over 26 hours with our Time Tree, as artists from Japan, Czechia, South Africa, Ghana, Norway The Netherlands, Wales, Scotland, England, USA, Canada, Mexico, & Brazil share their responses to ‘Time’, using Shakespeare’s Sonnets and The Winter’s Tale as their starting points.
Check in to the show from 10am GMT on 31st December as 2022 arrives in Kiritimati, tune in over the 26 hours for the new midnight celebrations, and remember to celebrate with Baker Island at 12pm GMT on 1st January! And don’t forget, at any point you’re welcome to Ask The Oracle - our very own Shakespearean Magic 8 Ball!
In order to watch, sign up to our mailing list.
Then, on December 30th a “ticket” will be emailed out with a link to the performance website
We started exploring The Winter’s Tale in the spring of 2021. We were excited at the idea of creating an event over New Year’s Eve. And we were keen to expand both our digital creativity and audience engagement experiments, after the success of our 2020 virtual promenade, What You Will.
Then, like everyone else, we became busy with other things, as our worlds slowly opened up a little.
We started work on our digital Winter Tales Project in November ‘21. A live show felt risky, as our members are spread around the world. We were doubtful of an especially big Digital audience during the winter holidays, and yet we were mindful that there’s an important demographic unable or unwilling to return to Live Theatre.
An audience who were grateful for the surge in Digital Arts in 2020, but as the theatres reopened, were left behind.
As we step towards 2022, and plays are being cancelled, and New Year’s events around the globe scrapped, we send a wintry offering of togetherness, entertainment, and reflection.
Our NYEvent is Free For All, or Donate What You Will.
We are proud to give our art for free so that all can enjoy it with as little obstacle to access as possible. That said, if you’re able to support us, we would deeply appreciate it.
As a self-produced Ensemble, each artist participating in Winter Tales can “opt-in” to receive a share of any proceeds from your donations (made via PayPal). Other than this virtual passing of the virtual hat, no one involved in this production is receiving any compensation.
Winter Tales will continue in 2022, and this NYEvent is a taster-teaser of what’s to come.
With love, and well-wishes to all,
#wintertales
Dec
11
8:30 PM20:30
Pecs Christmas Show
This year's office party has a Pecsmas twist! The cinnamon spiced boys of Pecs Drag Kings are coming to town and we want to treat all you nice (and naughty) queers to a big queermas bash.
Don your best rhinestoned Rudolf jumper and get ready to be dazzled - because this time we're not coming empty handed! We'll be filling your stockings full of London's wise Drag Kings, Queens and Things for a tinselising cabaret.
Pecs Drag Kings are an all-female/non-binary theatre and cabaret company who have been creating critically acclaimed shows for the LGBTQ+ community since 2013. Through their drag king cabarets and theatre shows, they explore gender identities, politics & sexuality, to create cultural space for queer women, trans* & non-binary folk. Their shows are sexy, raucous and highly entertaining, using songs, dances and comedy to celebrate inclusivity, queerness & community.
NB I will not be performing in this show!
Oct
13
8:00 PM20:00
Brainchild @Boiler Room Festival
Boiler Room Festival returns to London with no headliners this October with IRL events broadcast online but also a digital programme for everyone to attend.
The programme will unfold over four nights, shifting focus to explore four scenes and sounds: Jazz Mind, Rap Fantasy, System Sound, Club.
Opening night at Boiler Room Festival is an eclectic presentation of live music, breaks and jazz-influenced sounds as South London’s Bussey Building. Brainchild Festival, gal-dem, and Zakia curate a stage each whilst Boiler Room’s video platform, 4:3, presents a video installation in collaboration with HOME by Ronan Mckenzie.
Pre-sale tickets are live as of Thu 10 June at 10am
Sep
23
7:30 PM19:30
Live drag show: Glasgow
Glasgow! Join us for a night of music, drag, poetry and FREE vegan ice cream at our Big Green Cabaret!
Join Ben & Jerry’s and our friends at climate action charity, Possible for a very special Big Green Cabaret.
Hosted by creator, activist, and change maker, Kayza Rose, we’ll be bringing you a packed, climate justice inspired, show designed to energise and entertain. And what’s better than a whole evening of spoon tingling entertainment? A whole evening of spoon tingling entertainment with FREE vegan ice cream of course!
Whether you’re a climate newbie or a seasoned activist, our artists and experts will bring you a night you’ll remember long after the curtains close.
Performers to be announced, but I will be one of them!
Please note: Due to the nature of the acts, this event is suitable for >18 only.
All proceeds from ticket sales will be donated to Possible.
The Big Green Cabaret events in Cardiff, Liverpool and Glasgow are part of the Great Big Green Week - a national week of events celebrating action on climate change.
Sep
22
7:30 PM19:30
Live drag show: Liverpool
Liverpool! Join us for a night of music, drag, poetry and FREE vegan ice cream at our Big Green Cabaret!
Join Ben & Jerry’s and our friends at climate action charity, Possible for a very special Big Green Cabaret.
Hosted by creator, activist, and change maker, Kayza Rose, we’ll be bringing you a packed, climate justice inspired, show designed to energise and entertain. And what’s better than a whole evening of spoon tingling entertainment? A whole evening of spoon tingling entertainment with FREE vegan ice cream of course!
Whether you’re a climate newbie or a seasoned activist, our artists and experts will bring you a night you’ll remember long after the curtains close.
Performers to be announced, but I will be one of them!
Please note: Due to the nature of the acts, this event is suitable for >18 only.
All proceeds from ticket sales will be donated to Possible.
The Big Green Cabaret events in Cardiff, Liverpool and Glasgow are part of the Great Big Green Week - a national week of events celebrating action on climate change.
Sep
20
7:30 PM19:30
Live drag show: Cardiff
Cardiff! Join us for a night of music, drag, poetry and FREE vegan ice cream at our Big Green Cabaret!
Join Ben & Jerry’s and our friends at climate action charity, Possible for a very special Big Green Cabaret.
Hosted by creator, activist, and change maker, Kayza Rose, we’ll be bringing you a packed, climate justice inspired, show designed to energise and entertain. And what’s better than a whole evening of spoon tingling entertainment? A whole evening of spoon tingling entertainment with FREE vegan ice cream of course!
Whether you’re a climate newbie or a seasoned activist, our artists and experts will bring you a night you’ll remember long after the curtains close.
Performers to be announced, but I will be one of them!
Please note: Due to the nature of the acts, this event is suitable for >18 only.
All proceeds from ticket sales will be donated to Possible.
The Big Green Cabaret events in Cardiff, Liverpool and Glasgow are part of the Great Big Green Week - a national week of events celebrating action on climate change.
Aug
30
to Sep 4
Pecs: The Boys Are Back In Town
Pecs Drag Kings are ready to dust off our crowns and serve our chosen family some much needed queer joy.
It’s been a long year, so let us hold you tight in the safety of our metaphorical manly chests, with a night of exquisite, swoon-worthy cabaret.
Expect slick dances, sexy lip-syncs, and the royal treatment you deserve.
Pecs Drag Kings are an all-women & non-binary theatre and cabaret company who’ve been creating critically acclaimed shows for the LGBTQ+ community since 2013. Through their drag king cabarets and theatre shows, they explore gender identities, politics & sexuality, to create cultural space for queer women, trans* & non-binary folk. ~Their shows are sexy, raucous and highly entertaining, using songs, dances and comedy to celebrate inclusivity, queerness & community.
Jun
18
to Aug 16
Exhibition: Dresden Museum of Hygiene
Pecs is going international again! If you happened to be swinging through Dresden in 2021/22, you might well see our mugs decorating the walls of the Dresden Museum of Hygiene. Which is a lot more fun than it sounds! Something similar to the Wellcome Collection here in London, the DHM explores humanity and society from a scientific perspective. Their new permanent exhibit on Sexualities will feature Stephen Allwright’s gorgeous portraits of the Pecs lads.
Jun
17
to Jul 24
Romeo and Juliet - Regent's Park Open Air
I am so excited to be bringing Juliet to life in the beautiful surroundings of Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre, one of London’s biggest theatres
Working with director Kimberley Sykes and Joel MacCormack as Romeo, as well an an amazing company of actors, this is a huge honour to be part of.
Please join us in socially distanced seating for a glorious production from June 17th!
