Tarantula
“Of course – as you’ve no doubt guessed – there’s a big ‘But Then’ moment heading this way…” It’s a sunny, spring day in East London. On a street corner, two teenagers kiss. One of them is Toni. This is her first kiss. It makes her very happy. But someone is watching. Someone who doesn’t …
The Double Act
In a crumbling coastal town, a fading comedian is forced to confront his estranged ex-partner – a deranged recluse fixated on their distant heyday—in a tale of guilt, ambition and the ghosts of British show-business. Billy Bash, who gloried in the title of Britain’s Third Most Offensive Comedian, refuses to admit he is in the …
As Long As We Are Breathing
“What colour eyes you have doesn’t matter to me. Does it have to matter to you? We all love to play don’t we?” The world premiere of a new work by Diane Samuels (author of award-winning Kindertransport). AS LONG AS WE ARE BREATHING is a multi-sensory, mixed media and timely evocation of the true-life story of Miriam Freedman. …
Queer Plays Celebration: Readings and Extracts
Join the Arcola Theatre Queer Collective as we celebrate 25 years of groundbreaking queer plays performed at Arcola Theatre. Enjoy readings and performances of extracts from some of our favourite plays, and stick around afterward to keep the celebration going with DJs and music in the bar! Sign-up to attend a FREE pre-show theatre workshop …
Dear Martin
Dave is the long-suffering husband. Martin is the psychopath who’s been exchanging erotic letters with Dave’s wife from a high-security hospital. When Dave finally gathers up the courage to confront him, Martin proposes a bargain: he will help Dave reignite his marriage if Dave helps convince Martin’s psychiatrist he’s actually made a friend. Dear Martin …
Cry-Baby, The Musical
The Tony-nominated cult classic from the makers of Hairspray makes its all-singing, all-dancing UK-premiere at Arcola Theatre. It’s 1954. Everyone likes Ike, nobody likes communism and Wade “Cry-Baby” Walker is the coolest boy in Baltimore. He’s a bad boy with a good cause – truth, justice and the pursuit of rock and roll. Enter Allison, …
Heisenberg
In bustling St Pancras train station, Georgie, a free spirit, impulsively plants a kiss on the neck of Alex, a reserved 70-year-old woman sitting on a bench. When Georgie unexpectedly reappears at Alex’s shop, the older woman is drawn into her unpredictable world, and her once quiet, orderly existence bursts into chaos and newfound vibrancy. …
The Secret Lives of Baba Segi’s Wives
A scandalous, engrossing tale of sexual politics and family strife in modern-day Nigeria adapted from Lola Shoneyin’s bestselling novel.
In Other Words
Due to exceptional demand, In Other Words returns to The Arcola for an exclusive one week run. Matthew Seager’s ★★★★★ 4X Moliere Award winning play, seen by over 300,000 people in multiple languages across the globe, examines the power of music, memory and the nature of enduring love.
54.60 Africa
Twelve childhood friends dare each other to discover themselves in Africa. Their journeys traverse 54 countries, countless boundaries and endless risks. Lives, history and destinies are rewritten forever. Exhilarating, cross-cultural pan-African encounters, brought to life through word, live music, song, and dance. 54.60 Africa is inspired by the travels of its author who accomplished visiting …