Theatre

A group of seven strangers is snowed in at a remote countryside guesthouse when a police sergeant arrives to warn them of a murderer on the loose. To their horror they realize the killer is already among them and one by one their dark secrets are revealed as they attempt to survive the night. Famous for its twist ending the play is the longest running production in the world and has become a legendary staple of London theatre culture

An extraordinary theatrical experiment consisting of two plays performed simultaneously by the same cast in two different auditoriums. While House takes place in the drawing-room, Garden occurs at the same time in the garden; actors exit one stage and immediately enter the other to continue the story. The narrative centers on Teddy Platt, a philandering politician whose life unravels during a garden fete. The plays offer two perspectives on the same events, exploring themes of betrayal, public image, and the hidden rot beneath the surface of English country life. It is a unique achievement in choreography and narrative timing.

A diffident widower, Guy Jones, joins an amateur operatic society to escape loneliness, only to find himself embroiled in a web of local scandals, infidelities, and corrupt business deals. As he rises from a one-line role to the lead in 'The Beggar’s Opera', his passive nature makes him a pawn for the more predatory members of the group. The play brilliantly uses the rehearsal process as a metaphor for the masks people wear in social life. It is a heart-breakingly funny exploration of small-town hypocrisy and the vulnerability of a good man in a dishonest world.

This quintessential comedy of mistaken identity follows Greg, who, suspicious of his girlfriend Ginny’s visit to her parents, follows her to the country. He finds himself in the garden of Sheila and Philip, believing them to be her mother and father, while they are actually her former lover and his wife. The resulting confusion is a masterclass in Ayckbourn’s early farce, exploring middle-class infidelities and the hilarity of polite, misinterpreted conversation. It remains one of the most popular and enduring British comedies of the 1960s, launching Ayckbourn's career as a major theatrical force.

A powerful and harrowing play that enters the mind of Susan, a frustrated vicar’s wife who, after a minor accident, begins to hallucinate a glamorous, ideal family. This dream family is a sharp contrast to her real, neglectful husband and sullen son. However, as Susan’s mental state deteriorates, the two worlds begin to collide, and her fantasy life turns into a terrifying nightmare. It is widely considered one of Ayckbourn’s most accomplished works, pushing the boundaries of stagecraft to depict a mental breakdown from the inside out, blending dark humor with tragic psychological depth.

A series of five interconnected one-act plays (Mother Figure, Drinking Companion, Between Mouthfuls, Gosforth’s Fete, and A Talk in the Park) that explore the themes of human isolation and the failure of communication. From a mother who treats all adults like children to a disastrous village fete broadcast over a public address system, the plays range from slapstick farce to poignant social observation. While each piece works individually, together they form a comprehensive and often hilarious survey of the confusions that define human relationships. It is one of the most frequently performed works in amateur and professional theater.

Set on three successive Christmas Eves in three different kitchens, this dark comedy follows the changing fortunes of three couples. As the socially climbing Hopcrofts rise in status, their friends—the philandering architect Geoffrey and the depressed banker Ronald—experience professional and personal decline. The play is famous for its second act, where a character attempts suicide while the oblivious guests try to help with domestic repairs. It is a brilliant, increasingly bleak examination of class mobility, marital dysfunction, and the superficiality of social interaction, balancing physical comedy with profound human despair.

This highly innovative comedy takes place simultaneously in three different bedrooms over the course of one long night. The plot is driven by Trevor and Susannah, a highly neurotic couple whose collapsing marriage disrupts the sleep and sanity of three other pairs. As the dysfunctional duo migrates from one bedroom to another, they force their friends and parents to confront their own marital shortcomings. The play is celebrated for its clever use of space and its sharp, funny observations on the co-dependence and mundanity of long-term relationships, proving that the most dramatic battles often happen at home.

An ingenious trilogy (Table Manners, Living Together, Round and Round the Garden) that depicts the same weekend in different rooms of a country house. The story follows the amorous and disruptive Norman, an assistant librarian, as he attempts to seduce his three sisters-in-law. The plays can be watched in any order, with events in one play explaining the off-stage actions in another. It is a masterpiece of structure and character, exploring the frustrations of family life and the desperate search for affection in a drab, claustrophobic domestic setting.

A technically dazzling comedy that features two different households sharing the same stage space simultaneously. The story involves three couples, two of whom are having an affair. The play’s centerpiece is a dinner party occurring on two different nights but performed at the same time, with the actors interacting with two separate families at once. This structural audacity creates high-velocity comedy and sharp insights into the complexities of social class and marital deception. It remains a tour-de-force of stagecraft and a favorite of both critics and audiences for its sheer theatrical brilliance.

When the incorruptible Jack McCracken takes over his father-in-law's furniture business, he intends to instill a new era of honesty. However, he quickly discovers that every member of his extended family is involved in systemic theft, bribery, and fraud. As Jack attempts to do the right thing, he is forced into increasingly immoral compromises to protect his kin, eventually leading to a shocking act of complicity. The play is a scathing satire on Thatcherite values and the corrosive effect of greed on the family unit, moving from farce to a chillingly dark conclusion.

Originally written for television but frequently performed as a theatrical cycle, these monologues offer intimate, often heartbreaking glimpses into the lives of seemingly ordinary people. From a lonely letter-writer to a vicar’s alcoholic wife, the characters reveal their deepest secrets and delusions directly to the audience. Bennett’s talking heads are masterclasses in subtext, where what is left unsaid is as important as what is spoken. The collection is celebrated for its perfect pitch, its dark humor, and its profound empathy for the quiet tragedies of English domestic life.

Set in a 1980s Sheffield grammar school, the play follows an unruly but bright group of sixth-formers as they prepare for Oxbridge entrance exams. The students are caught between the contrasting teaching styles of the eccentric, holistic Hector and the cynical, results-driven young Irwin. As they navigate the pressures of academia, they also grapple with their burgeoning identities and the complexities of history. The play is a brilliant, witty, and moving exploration of the purpose of education and the elusive nature of historical truth, blending sharp intellectual debate with deeply human moments of vulnerability and humor.

The play centers on an imaginary meeting between the poet W.H. Auden and the composer Benjamin Britten in 1972. It is framed as a rehearsal of a play-within-a-play titled 'Caliban’s Day', where actors discuss the process of creating art and the difficulties of aging. The drama explores the complex relationship between these two giants of 20th-century culture, focusing on their creative collaboration and personal tensions. It is a witty, intellectual, and deeply moving meditation on the habit of creation and the compromises required by a life dedicated to art.

Set in The Beth, an old-fashioned community hospital in Yorkshire threatened with closure due to NHS efficiency drives, the play follows the staff and elderly patients as they fight to save their institution. The drama blends sharp political commentary on the state of the healthcare system with touching, often humorous portraits of aging. As the hospital prepares for a documentary crew’s visit, a darker plot involving a series of mysterious deaths begins to unfold. It is a deeply felt, often angry, yet ultimately compassionate play about how we treat our elderly and the value of community care.

This powerful historical drama depicts the mental decline of King George III and the resulting constitutional crisis. As the King’s behavior becomes increasingly erratic and mad, his court descends into a frenzy of political maneuvering, with the Prince of Wales seeking to seize power. The play focuses on the brutal medical treatments of the era and the King's struggle to maintain his dignity and his throne. It is a compassionate and meticulously researched study of power, family, and the fragile line between authority and infirmity, later adapted into an Oscar-winning film.

A dark, absurdist comedy set in a back-to-back house in Leeds that is about to be demolished. The elderly couple living there, Connie and Mam, are being observed by a sociologist who is actually their long-lost son in disguise. The house and its inhabitants are eventually preserved as a living museum exhibit, reflecting Bennett’s themes of the commodification of the past and the voyeurism of modern culture. It is a bleakly funny and surreal look at family, class, and the way we curate our own histories, often at the expense of authentic experience.

Set in a crumbling boys' public school, the play uses the occasion of the headmaster's retirement to stage a school play that parodies British history and literature from the late Victorian era to the 1940s. The play-within-a-play structure allows for a satirical but affectionate look at the values of a vanishing England. It is a witty, nostalgic, and often sharp-edged revue that balances high-brow literary pastiche with schoolboy humor, exploring the themes of national identity and the end of an era.

Based on Bennett’s own memoirs, this play tells the extraordinary true story of Miss Shepherd, a transient woman who temporarily parked her van in Bennett's London driveway and stayed for fifteen years. The play features two versions of Alan Bennett on stage—one who lives the life and one who writes it—creating a meta-narrative about the writer's burden and the nature of charity. It is a funny, touching, and occasionally acerbic look at an unlikely friendship and the eccentricities of North London life, exploring the boundaries of privacy and the weight of social conscience.

A double bill consisting of two short plays, 'An Englishman Abroad' and 'A Question of Attribution'. The first follows the real-life meeting between actress Coral Browne and the defector Guy Burgess in Moscow; the second centers on Sir Anthony Blunt, the Queen’s art advisor and a Soviet spy. Both plays explore themes of loyalty, class, and the English habit of secrecy and betrayal. They are witty, understated, and deeply insightful studies of individuals caught between their national identity and their personal ideologies, featuring Bennett’s signature blend of humor and pathos.

A fast-paced, surreal farce that centers on the Wicksteed family and their various sexual obsessions and physical insecurities. Set in a middle-class household, the play features a cast of characters—including a randy doctor, his frustrated wife, and a flat-chested daughter—all chasing after physical satisfaction or transformation. It is a frantic, comedic exploration of the human body and the habeas corpus (the right to have the body) in both a legal and a carnal sense. The play is noted for its rhythmic, almost choreographed comedy and its sharp-witted dialogue.

Beneath the Paris Opera House, a masked musical genius lives in shadows, obsessed with a young soprano, Christine Daaé. He mentors her while terrorizing the theater staff. When Christine falls for a childhood suitor, the Phantom’s jealousy sparks a dark and tragic series of events.

Willy Loman, an aging traveling salesman, struggles with the realization that his life and the American Dream he chased are failures. Through fractured memories, he examines his strained relationship with his sons, Biff and Happy, leading to a tragic conclusion about identity and worth.

In 1692 Salem, a group of girls accuses fellow villagers of witchcraft to hide their own mischief. The hysteria spreads, leading to a series of trials where innocent people are executed. It serves as a powerful allegory for the McCarthy-era anti-communist witch hunts in 1950s America.

During World War II a businessman knowingly shipped faulty airplane parts causing several pilot deaths. Years later his secrets unravel as his son prepares to marry the former fiancée of his brother who went missing in action leading to a devastating family confrontation.

On a Greek island, young Sophie is preparing for her wedding and wants her father to walk her down the aisle. After reading her mother Donna's old diary, she secretly invites three men from Donna's past to the wedding, leading to a nostalgic, song-filled confrontation between old flames.

A sharp-edged comedy of manners that evolves into a tragic examination of human goodness in a materialistic age. Following the death of their father, two sisters—the selfless, artistic Isobel and the ruthless, Thatcherite politician Marion—clash over their father’s legacy and the care of his alcoholic widow. The play explores how the purity of one individual can be seen as a provocation to others who have compromised their values for power and success. It is a bleak but brilliant study of the psychology of the 1980s, where greed was championed as a virtue and kindness was often exploited.

An erotic and stylish adaptation of Arthur Schnitzler's 'La Ronde', this play consists of ten interconnected scenes of sexual encounters that cross the social strata of a modern city. Each scene features one character from the previous encounter, creating a circular chain of lust, betrayal, and unfulfillment. Hare moves the setting to contemporary London, using the sexual merry-go-round to explore the loneliness and artifice of modern urban life. The play is famous for its physical demands on the actors, who each play five different roles, shifting identities and costumes with lightning speed.

A poignant historical drama that focuses on two pivotal moments in the life of Oscar Wilde. The first act takes place in a London hotel shortly before his arrest, as he decides whether to flee to France or face his trial. The second act finds him in exile in Naples, impoverished and abandoned, yet still tethered to his destructive lover, Lord Alfred Douglas (Bosie). The play is a tragic exploration of Wilde’s refusal to compromise his soul and his fatal loyalty to a man who did not deserve it, set against the backdrop of Victorian betrayal.

The first part of Hare's State of the Nation trilogy, this play examines the Church of England’s struggle to remain relevant in a modern, secular society. Set in a South London parish, it pits a liberal, compassionate clergyman against a young, evangelical curate and a rigid, traditionalist Bishop. The drama explores the conflict between personal faith and institutional survival, asking whether a church can truly serve the poor while being torn apart by internal theological warfare. It is a compassionate and intellectually rigorous look at an institution in crisis, balanced with moments of profound humor and spiritual doubt.

A biting, high-energy satire on the British newspaper industry during the 1980s. The play follows the meteoric rise of Lambert Le Roux, an amoral South African media tycoon modeled on Rupert Murdoch, as he systematically buys up prestigious London titles and hollows out their journalistic integrity. It is a comedic but terrifying exploration of how power, greed, and the pursuit of truth can be manipulated by a single, ruthless individual. The play remains a legendary production for its sharp wit and its devastating portrayal of the surrender of the liberal establishment to corporate interests.

A deeply personal three-character drama that centers on a single evening's reunion between two former lovers. Kyra, a dedicated teacher working in a deprived London neighborhood, is visited by Tom, a wealthy and charismatic restaurateur whose wife has recently died. As they attempt to rekindle their romance, the vast ideological and economic gulf between them becomes an insurmountable barrier. The play is a masterful examination of the personal cost of political convictions, set entirely within Kyra's sparsely furnished flat, where the simple act of cooking spaghetti becomes a backdrop for intense intellectual and emotional warfare.

A rowdy, musical play set in 1969 at a Cambridge University May Ball. It follows a failing rock band, led by the ferocious and self-destructive Maggie Frisby, as they perform for a group of privileged students. The play captures the dying embers of the 1960s counterculture, contrasting the band’s raw, nihilistic energy with the stagnant, comfortable world of the British elite. It is a play about class, art, and the inevitable burnout of rebellion, featuring original songs and a sense of terminal, drug-fueled chaos that eventually consumes the band.

This landmark drama spans twenty years, tracing the life of Susan Traherne from her time as a courageous resistance agent in Nazi-occupied France to her deep disillusionment in post-war Britain. As she navigates a mundane marriage to a diplomat and the crumbling values of the British Empire, her mental health deteriorates, mirroring the moral erosion of the state. The play is a scathing indictment of a country that failed to live up to the heroism of its wartime past, shifting seamlessly between scenes of high-stakes espionage and the stifling atmosphere of 1950s London society.

A sprawling, multi-generational play that explores the turbulent relationship between a legendary West End actress, Esme Allen, and her daughter, Amy. Spanning sixteen years, the story begins in 1979 as Amy introduces her mother to her new boyfriend, a cynical film critic who believes theater is a dying medium. The play serves as a defense of the live stage while simultaneously investigating the personal sacrifices required by art. It is a heartbreaking study of fame, financial ruin, and the enduring but difficult bond between mother and child, culminating in a powerful meditation on the redemptive power of performance.

A compelling history play that reconstructs the diplomatic and political maneuvering that led to the 2003 invasion of Iraq. Using a mix of verbatim records and imagined private conversations, the play features major historical figures including George W. Bush, Tony Blair, Colin Powell, and Donald Rumsfeld. The title refers to Rumsfeld’s dismissive comment about the looting of Baghdad, and the drama meticulously charts the hubris, miscalculations, and ideological fervor of the era. It is a sober, epic, and highly theatrical dissection of how democratic nations go to war and the consequences of political certainty over evidence.

Middle-aged couple George and Martha invite a younger couple, Nick and Honey, over for late-night drinks. The evening descends into a series of cruel psychological games where secrets are weaponized, exposing the bitter, illusory nature of George and Martha's marriage and their shared fantasies.

Based on the Disney film, young lion prince Simba is exiled from the Pride Lands after the death of his father, Mufasa. Under the guidance of his friends Timon and Pumbaa, Simba eventually returns as an adult to challenge his villainous uncle Scar and reclaim his place as king.

Set over a single day in 1912, the Tyrone family—an aging actor, his morphine-addicted wife, and their two troubled sons—confront their demons. They trade accusations and revisit past traumas, revealing the deep-seated resentment and love that bind them together in a cycle of addiction and regret.

Gambler Nathan Detroit needs $1,000 to host his oldest established permanent floating craps game. He bets high-roller Sky Masterson that Sky cannot take a virtuous Mission doll, Sarah Brown, to Havana. Meanwhile, Nathan’s long-suffering fiancée, Miss Adelaide, desperately wants to finally get him to the altar after 14 years.

The Cornley Polytechnic Drama Society attempts to stage a 1920s murder mystery, but the production is plagued by disaster. From collapsing sets and missing props to unconscious actors and forgotten lines, the troupe desperately tries to finish the play as the chaos reaches hilarious, slapstick proportions.

The wealthy Birling family’s celebratory dinner is interrupted by Inspector Goole, who reveals that a young working-class woman has committed suicide. As the Inspector interrogates each family member, it becomes clear that they all played a part in her downfall, serving as a powerful critique of social hypocrisy and collective responsibility.

Nineteen years after the Battle of Hogwarts, Harry Potter is an overworked Ministry employee. His son, Albus Severus, struggles with the weight of the family legacy. When Albus and his friend Scorpius Malfoy use a Time-Turner to change the past, they accidentally create dark alternate realities that threaten the future.

In 1981 Northern Ireland, the Carney family prepares for the annual harvest. However, the celebration is interrupted by the discovery of a body in a bog—a man disappeared by the IRA ten years earlier. The play explores the long shadows of political violence and personal loss.