political theatre

Feature | Rehearsing Working Class Hero

by Diana Miranda

Written and co-performed by Bulgarian migrant Theo Hristov, Working Class Hero is an absurdist satire that takes us on a high-speed romp through the British class system via two actors with different backgrounds: a white, privately-educated Posh Actor frustrated by being pigeonholed, and his friend, a migrant Working Class Actor, who writes a script based on lived experience as a vehicle for himself. When Posh Actor lands the role instead, the shift cracks open the tensions beneath their friendship and the British casting ecosystem. Working Class Hero has taken the floor at Baron’s Court Theatre this month as part of VOILÁ Festival 2025. As a multilingual festival that showcases migrant-led productions, VOILÁ Fest seems like an ideal home for Working Class Hero and the questions it raises about the British theatre industry.

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Edinburgh Festival Fringe: Lost Lear, Consumed, and The Beautiful Future is Coming at the Traverse Theatre

by Laura Kressly

As the population ages and continues to be threatened by underfunding and lack of adequate resources, quality care for elderly people is under threat. The acclaimed Irish play Lost Lear by Dan Colley challenges this by providing a narrative of hope. Safely tucked away in a care home, Joy (Venetia Bowe) re-lives the best moments of her life over and over again. Her care team have recreated the rehearsal process for her acclaimed turn in King Lear, which keeps her calm and content as dementia ravages her brain. Joy’s experience is both tragically beautiful and inspirational – may we all have this depth of experience as our minds slip below the horizon.

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This Bitter Earth, Soho Theatre

by Zahid Fayyaz

This summer production is Billy Porter’s directorial debut, starring Omari Douglas and Alexander Lincoln. Harrison David River’s two-hander follows the story of Jessie and Neil and their tragic love story in the turbulent period of 2012-2017. The play cuts between different parts of the couple’s relationship, from the highs and lows, with a background consisting of the end of Obama’s presidency and the rise of the Black Lives Matter movement.

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Saria Callas, Camden People’s Theatre

by Anne-Charlotte Gerbaud

In Saria Callas, Seemia Theatre and Sara Amini deliver a powerful solo show that explores identity, memory, and freedom. This multimedia production traces the journey of Saria, who fled Iran to escape a life of restriction, only to realise that her decision may also have paved the way for her child to live freely in ways she couldn’t have imagined.

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Natalie Palamides: WEER, Soho Theatre Walthamstow

by Zahid Fayyaz

After several years of development and subsequent building works, the Soho has opened its north London outpost in Walthamstow, in the beautiful former Granada Cinema that’s also a Grade 2 listed building. A lovely, glitzy venue, and with a capacity of just under 1000, this space debuts with Natalie Palamide’s award nominated Edinburgh fringe show, Weer.

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Anirban Dasgupta: Polite Provocation, Soho Theatre

by Zahid Fayyaz

Over the last few years, the Soho Theatre has been making a concerted effort to bring over and showcase comedians from India’s burgeoning stand-up scene. Coming back to the UK for the third time, Mumbai based Anirban Dasgupta, one of the continent’s brightest comedy hopefuls, is selling out rooms here in Britain.

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Attention Span, Hen & Chickens Theatre

by Diana Miranda

It’s often said that storytelling sets humans apart from the rest of the animal kingdom. What no one says is that telling stories is no rudimentary act, but a labyrinth of tangents, digressions, and U-turns. Enter Brave Mirror Productions and Attention Span, “a series of short sketches for people with short attention spans,” as its creators put it. This high-energy satire turns the mind inside out to dive into its rabbit holes, unravelling the tangled web within the human brain.

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The Unicorn in Captivity, Lion and Unicorn Theatre

by Diana Miranda

Written by Angelika May, The Unicorn in Captivity is a powerful tragedy that explores the ways patriarchal systems —from the NHS to art institutions — diminish and fetishise the experience of women grappling with chronic illness. 

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Cutting the Tightrope, Arcola Theatre

by Luisa De la Concha Montes

Cutting the Tightrope hosts a series of short sketches that are united by the same topic: censorship. It was created as a direct response to the Arts Council England’s now retracted guidance that political statements made by individuals linked to an organisation can cause reputational risks. From the war in Gaza to the rise of authoritarian regimes, each sketch explores the political, social and emotional effects that the lack of freedom of expression may have.

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Polly (The Heartbreak Opera), Pleasance Theatre

by Archie Whyld

What do German theatre directors eat in the morning? Why, Brechtfast, of course. Early on in Polly (The Heartbreak Opera), a similar, and admittedly better, Brechtfast joke was subtly slipped in, in a moment of metatheatrical gorgeousness, and so, being a lover of all things Brecht, I thought – this is for me.

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