Pleasance London Spring Summer Season

Pleasance London is turning 30 - and after Jeremy Corbyn’s headline-grabbing cameo in the panto, the celebrations are only just beginning. Doing what it does best as a hub for bold ideas and emerging talent, Pleasance launches its anniversary year with a vibrant Spring/Summer theatre season bursting with new voices, returning favourites and the best of the Fringe on Islington’s doorstep. Bringing together artists developed through its acclaimed initiatives with a new generation of talent, the season underscores Pleasance’s enduring commitment to ambitious, risk-taking new theatre.

Highlights include

DREAM BIG, an innovative new partnership with Camden People’s Theatre and MAKE SPACE (4th Feb), an artist development evening for theatre-makers of all experiences and disciplines.

The Charlie Hartill and UNTAPPED Winning Week (11th – 13th Feb), Kanpur: 1857 and Pigs Fly Easy Ryan, all spotlighting the next wave of boundary-pushing early-career theatre. 

The Charlie Hartill Try Outs (23rd- 24th Feb), an unmissable opportunity for theatre makers and comedians to develop and showcase ambitious new work for Edinburgh Fringe. 

CODACHROME: a live DJ set about the time I fell in love with a [trigger warning] (14th Feb) - an addictive exploration of love and healing with rhythm and movement.

Big Fat Cabaret (18th Apr) a body-positive cabaret  hosted by Mitzi Fitz, celebrating being fat, fierce and fabulous.

Later in the season, Pleasance’s Associate Artists take over the Main House to showcase six major Fringe hits.  Kick-starting the takeover is Project People (11th-14th Mar) featuring Smalltown Boy and Clean Slate.  Maybe You Like It bring their smash-hit double bill to London  (22th Apr - 9th May) Down To Chance and Sorry I Broke Your Arms and Legs.  Rounding off this epic takeover (27th-30th May) is Burning Down the Horse, It’s Gonna Blow! and House Party (27th-30th May).

For absolute madness, The London 50-hour Improvathon (27th Feb – 1st Mar) by Showstopper Productions is back, wild, unpredictable and hilarious.

TWO nights of new works-in-progress, A Pleasance Scratch (8th-9th Apr) and members of Pleasance’s box office, bar and front of house teams test their new material on the main stage in A Pleasance Staff Scratch (25th Mar).

After 30 years of daring artists, bold ideas and unforgettable performances, Pleasance London celebrates its anniversary with the same spark that started it all - supporting artists to dream bigger, take creative leaps and turn ambition into reality.