Park Theatre will reopen after 16 months closure with a two act play set in both the virtual and real world, and a refurbished front of house.
The Finsbury Park venue has been shuttered since March 2020 but has been staging work online after successfully launching the Park Life fund to stay afloat through the pandemic.
The first act of Park Bench by Tori Allen-Martin runs online in June and July, then the second act unfolds live in the reopened theatre from August 4. Commissioned during the pandemic, it sees Liv and Theo reconnect after a year apart with them meeting virtually in act one and in person in act two - when they have questions too big for small screens.
The summer to autumn season also includes a co-production with leading black theatre company Talawa of A Place for We (Oct 7-Nov 6) Archie Maddocks' bittersweet comedy about a Trinidadian funeral director Clarence and fifth generation Irish pub owner George.
From August 18-September 4 is the premiere of When Darkness Falls, a based-on-real-events ghost story about a history talk on Guernsey’s paranormal past which reveals horrors in the island’s more immediate present.
And double bill; Say it, Women (12 Oct – 6 Nov) features Flushed by Catherine Cranfield, which centres around two sisters grappling with the implications of a recent diagnosis, and Sold, the extraordinary journey of Mary Prince who was born into slavery in Bermuda and became a writer and champion of freedom.
Artistic Director Jez Bond said the refurb included a more accessible box office, extended bar, a new mezzanine seating area, and an open plan pizza kitchen.
“We can’t wait to reopen our doors this August with a brilliant programme of shows and a newly refurbished building," he said. "We’re particularly excited to be working with Talawa, after the postponement of the original run from spring 2020, and with playwright Tori Allen-Martin on her new play Park Bench which takes the audience on a journey from the world of digital theatre back to the live stage. I look forward to giving audiences the warm and safe welcome back they deserve.”
Executive Director Rachael Williams said they would be reopening in line with government and UKTheatre guidelines with measures to ensure audience safety including hand sanitising stations, contactless tickets, enhanced cleaning and audiences required to wear masks.
Book at https://www.parktheatre.co.uk/
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here