It’s Nothing Personal, It’s Just Business
by Kelsey Marlowe Jessup
22 - 26 April 2025, 7.30 pm and 26 April 2025, 2.30 pm
An organic questioning of today’s theatre industry and actor training, It’s Nothing Personal, It’s Just Business explores new and different ways forward for actors and theatre practitioners; with robots, a cat, and the experience of living onstage.
In an industry and world where creatives are forced to tick boxes and follow the rules, the actor, Kelsey, takes the audience on an interactive and thoughtful journey; inviting them to play alongside her and experience what a world it would be to be allowed to truly live on stage.
The play is also distinguished by Kelsey’s use of the Demidov Organic Acting Technique, which ensures a new iteration of real life with every performance. While this technique has been used within actor training at the Demidov Studio London (DSL), and within research contexts in the DSL Lab Ensemble, this production– for the first time in our lifetimes – uses the technique throughout the entirety of the creation and performance process of a solo-play.
The form, content, and creative process of Its Nothing Personal… are all integral to the play's message of new ways forward for actors and the creative community at large. Thus, we are excited to see artists and creatives of all modalities in our audiences and how they respond to the ripples that our piece creates.
Mermaids
Have No Tears
by Ellis Stump
29 April - 17 May 2025, 7.30 pm (Tue - Sat)
Inspired by the original fairytale and Hans Christian Anderson’s real queer love triangle, this coming-of-age tail, set at the iconic Coney Island Mermaid Parade, dives into themes of selfless vs shellfishness in America today.
As the 2025 political administration makes tensions and temperatures rise, should we indulge escapism or violence, or do mermaids hold the key to harmony?
Written by Ellis Stump
Directed by Julia Sopher
Shelter by Julia Finn
20 - 25 May 2025, 7.30 pm
Jess and Ross are trapped in a survival bunker - they can hear something enormous and hungry desperately trying to claw them out. They are safe in the bunker, from the homophobia and transphobia of the outside world, from Jess' brother who locked them inside. With each other as their only company, they use each other to affirm that they are loveable, that they are weak, that they are cruel. They use each other for pleasure and self-hatred.
Shelter was written by Julia Finn, a trans woman and lesbian, as an exploration of queerness and monstrosity. The script interrogates the desire to self-isolate, with the acknowledgment of harm that internalized hatred can bring to loved ones, relationships, and yourself.
Chop-chop! by Andrea Holland
27 - 31 May 2025, 7.30 pm
"Stereotypes are true; they are just not the whole truth."
Meet Spanish and English, two vibrant characters that grapple and coexist, battling their ever-growing list of obligations. This eclectic, Spanglish, one-woman show explores procrastination, emails, recipes, and the pursuit of life's true essence.
Infused with energetic physical comedy, clowning, and storytelling, "Chop-chop!" promises laughter and reflection about what truly shapes us. It mirrors the complexity of a bilingual brain and our multi-faceted identities.
"Chop-chop!" is an ode to Andrea’s mother and her tortilla. It highlights how something as simple as food reconnects us with our roots; whilst also criticising toxic productivity culture and how we can lose ourselves within it.
Join us in the battle between the emotional and rational sides of the brain – Spanish versus English, or is it the other way around?
Street
by Liviu Monsted
3 - 7 June 2025, 7.30 pm
Australian theatre company Mon Sans Productions returns to London with a new play that addresses the overlooked reality of homelessness.
STREET follows Foster and Miriam, two homeless youths who are used to being left alone and unseen, that is, until their curbside is taken over by Fay and Christian, a mysterious pair who are new to the cruel reality of living on the streets.
STREET is a hard-hitting, confronting commentary on homelessness and social responsibility.
STREET is set to make its UK premiere on 3 June 2025 at the Barons Court Theatre with 10% of the box office going to local homeless charity Barons Court Project.
Peter Pan by J.M. Barrie
10 - 14 June 2025, 7.30 pm
14 June, 2.30 pm
It’s been a long summer holiday for the Darling children - time has turned to liquid and make-believe is to be believed. That’s when Peter Pan whisks Wendy and her brothers off to Never Land, where fairies are fickle, mermaids are murderous, pirates are poppycock, and one little boy will never grow up.
The timeless magic of J.M. Barrie’s play is brought to life for audiences of all ages, with ‘90s nostalgia, a spritz of fairy dust, and a clap of the hands. Now, doesn’t that sound like an awfully big adventure?
An Apple Orchard Players production. After this run, the lost boys, Captain Hook, and the other iconic characters of Peter Pan will transfer to Somerset for a magic, open-air performance.
One Hundred Percent
by Precarious Theatre
17 - 21 June 2025, 7.30 pm
In a claustrophobic studio apartment, an embittered failed actor confronts the examiner who once gave him a perfect score in an acting exam - a moment which, the actor believes, destined him for greatness. As tea turns to tension, years of suppressed rage unravel in an unsettling psychological showdown that spirals into obsession, shattered dreams, and a desperate bid for catharsis. Both must now face the devastating consequences of misplaced hope, harsh truths, and lives derailed by ambition in this darkly comedic exploration of artistry, identity, and the human need for validation.
Provenance by Jonathan Skinner
24 - 28 June 2025, 7.30 pm
Ellie wants to get on. Move up. Get ahead for once.
She can't do that on her own, so when she lands a cushy mentorship scheme, she thinks she's finally on her way.
But when Ellie meets her new mentor Patrick, an older artist who hides away painting abstracts in a dingy studio, she's sure she buzzed the wrong flat.
Ellie pushes Patrick to the limit and then some. As banter turns to barbs that cut too close to the quick, Ellie and Patrick find themselves in a standoff of culture, class and secrets.
Jonathan Skinner returns to the Barons Court Theatre (Everything's Brilliant, 2022) with the world premiere of his award-winning play Provenance, directed by Artistic Director Sharon Willems.
Jonathan and Sharon previously collaborated on his play Indignitas for Little Pieces of Gold and the Criterion West End New Writing Showcases.
REGULAR EVENTS / & COMEDY
Avocado Presents: Improv
Best friends Hamza and Jake discover characters, scenes and storylines on the spot, without the faintest idea what might happen next.
Every Thursday night watch as Avocado pull an ORIGINAL ONE-ACT PLAY out of thin air, turning truth into belly laughs; imagine Tarantino meets Spinal Tap.
Adding fuel to the fire, legendary music fills each show, from soulful grooves to rare classics, leaving you dancing in your seat and rolling in the aisles.
The Sunday Fix
-for theatre makers
The first Sunday of every month
You're invited to our monthly scratch night with a difference!
Get your creative fix in an evening that's part Q&A, part scratch night and a whole lot of fun. Are you a writer with 10 minutes of a new play that you'd like feedback on? Maybe you're a director or actor who loves new writing and wants more experience? Or a theatre lover who's curious about the theatre making process? Come along to the Sunday Fix and join our growing network of emerging artists getting creative together.
To sign up for our Creative pool, write in to sundayfix@baronscourttheatre.com with a bit about you and we'll be in touch.
BURNT ORANGE THEATRE COMPANY
Sunday Sessions
An evening filled with new writing, spoken word, and stand-up comedy. Celebrating the best that young people can do and everything that new, local, and emerging artists have to offer. Take a seat for your chance to get an insight into new, future, and exciting projects. Stick around afterward for an opportunity to meet and network with other young creatives and the Burnt Orange team in a relaxed, friendly environment.
Tall Tales & Cocktails
Sunday, 27 April 2024, 7 pm
Sunday, 25 May 2024, 7 pm
Tall Tales and Cocktails is a night of comic storytelling by the leading raconteurs on the comedy scene. A night for adults only.
MC: Steven Mayne