WHAT'S ON at THE BREAD AND ROSES
Concise and easy to use
This Pride Month, The Bread & Roses Theatre serves up a feast of the fearless, the funny, and the fabulously chaotic.
June’s lineup dives into eco-chaos with Bombshell, and dances through dystopia in Cabaret for the End of the World. Embrace your Villain Era, laugh-cringe at Mom I Got a Job, sniff out surprises in Scratch n Sniff, and wallow gloriously in Unlucky Me. Plus, don’t miss the free National Crime Reading Month tribute and the electric Vaudeville Comedy Club Showcase.
Cabaret for the End of the World
3 - 7 June
Well, fuck. Things aren’t looking great eh? Life’s been a little hard since day zero, hasn’t it? The nuclear winter’s setting in bitter this year. And there’s a cost to kindness but nobody can afford it. It’s every rat for themselves.
An accordion, a pistol and bottle of home-brewed absinthe. That’s all you need to get by in this post-apocalyptic wasteland. Why not celebrate your sorry existence on this horrific Earth by plodding down to what remains of the Bread and Roses Theatre for songs, storytelling and survival tips?
Villain Era
8 & 9 June
It's 2019 and Star is cast in a YouTube reality competition series by Jubilee called "Odd Man Out: Vegans versus Meat Eaters" where contestants find the non-vegan mole for a cash prize. This video went viral to over 17 million views and Star was given the "Villain Edit." As a result, she is harassed, threatened, and bullied for over 5 years! In this one-woman multimedia comedy, told through musical satire, standup, a variety of characters, and real comments from Reddit, TikTok, Instagram, and video footage from YouTube, Villain Era examines the effect social media has on our mental health and how one viral moment can change a person's life forever.
Mom I got a job
17 - 19 June
Ricky is 23, unemployed, and struggling with mounting disappointment after a year of job rejections. His mother, Geena, believes Ricky’s negative outlook is the real problem. Desperate to help, Geena tries everything from pep talks to yoga to boost his aura, but nothing works. Just as Ricky’s despair deepens, he receives an email offering him a job - despite his lack of experience. A story filled with humour and heartbreak, it captures the poignant struggles of young adults facing a world where finding one’s place is anything but simple.
The Bread & Roses Summer Social:
NETWORKING EVENT
5 June
The Bread & Roses Theatre invites all theatre-makers to our summer social networking event!
Held in the Bread & Roses Pub (garden room), this casual get together is a chance for creatives to network, learn about upcoming opportunities and chat to the team about putting forward a proposal for our programming.
Free but space is limited so please book!
BOMBSHELL
10 - 14 June
BOMBSHELL follows three sparkly Vegas showgirls who put up environmentally-conscious cabaret acts in a rundown nightclub called Club Fistfight. Despite their best attempts at making global warming hot, the club is closing. For their final performance, Scarlett, Jane, and Eliza decide to tell the audience a love story -- that of their very own Scarlett and fellow environmentalist Tony, who met at the club and fell madly for each other.
BOMBSHELL is about how far we'll go for love, of each other, and of our planet, and who is really responsible for the end of the world.
Scratch 'n' Sniff
21 June
Smell that? That's the return of the scent-sational Scratch 'n' Sniff, the exciting variety scratch night presented by comedy curators The Defectors!
Come on down to the Bread & Roses on Saturday 21st June to get a whiff of all the incredible talent that's been hiding right under your nose.
Expect a well balanced, full-bodied evening of comedy, with notes of sketch and stand-up, a hint of music, and other aromatic antics.
Unlucky Me
22 & 23 June
Meet Lucky Flynn, a Guy who is facing a series of unfortunate events including the murder of his beloved Brother Toby.
With the support of his sister Sarah & Girlfriend Sophie, Lucky must confront the mistakes he has made and the challenges in his life in order to find a way forward All while avoiding a Face From the Past.
Vaudeville Comedy Club Showcase
24 June
Vaudeville Comedy Club hits London with a stellar showcase of stand-up talent! Enjoy a night of laughs with MC Kym Nash and a knockout lineup including Paul McHugh, Ruby Don, Callum Mackenzie, Marcuss Tisson, Tove Falk, and fan favourite Rob Blind. Expect sharp sets, big energy, and non-stop fun!
National Crime Reading Month
The Big Read II: A Dagger of Crime Writers
29 June
Join us at The Bread & Roses Theatre for an atmospheric afternoon of crime fiction.
This event brings together crime writers reading gripping excerpts from their novels—live, raw, and unfiltered.
Expect thrilling storytelling, dark twists, and literary intrigue, all in the intimate setting of one of London’s best fringe venues.
Line-up
Diana Wilkinson - 'The Girl in Seat A'
Ivy Ngeow - 'The American Boyfriend'
Alice Castle - 'Death in Dulwich' and 'Murder at an English Pub'
Tony White - 'The Fountain in the Forest'
Jennie Ensor - 'The Bad Neighbour'
Anne Coates - the Hannah Weybridge mysteries
Victoria Dowd - 'The Smart Woman's Guide to Murder' (TBC)
Julie Anderson - 'The Midnight Man' & ‘A Death in the Afternoon‘
Heidi Amsinck - ‘Out of the Dark’
Jon Richter - ‘Chains’
Tales of a Jane Austen Spinster
Wanderess Mermaid Productions present
Tales of a Jane Austen Spinster
written and performed by Alexandra Jorgensen
6 & 7 July
When a Jane Austen heroine, unlucky in love, finds herself thrown into the modern world of dating, she must set aside her customs and expectations to brave this new world of courtship. But the unsolicited pictures and lack of chivalry may be all too much for her! Will she persevere for a chance to take charge of her own story and find love or retreat back into the safety of her pages?
Reviews:
5 stars: “a triumph for solo theatre, proving just how delightful, moving and hysterically funny it can be” - The Student
4 stars: “an amusing concept, continuouslycharming and very funny."- Broadway World
The Godless War
8 - 12 July
written and produced by Arif Silverman
directed by Kazeem Akinsanya and Neha Hemachandra
In The Godless War, a fictional nation's sole survivor brings the sweeping history of his felled land into striking clarity. Audiences are invited into a world of epic battles, homeric journeys, passionate romance, and gorgeous poetry, all brought to life by a single performer.
Over the course of seventy five minutes, our nameless storyteller weaves a tale brimming with excitement, mystery, and devastation. Beliefs are challenged, wars are waged, and secrets are revealed in a complex portrayal of a culture on the brink of extinction, and the futility of the violence that brought it there.
Written in Shakespearean verse, The Godless War brings audiences face to face with humankind's storied history of war, compelling them to ask the question - does war have to be a part of who we are?
★★★★ 'A one-man tour-de force' -Salterton Arts Review
★★★★ 'A powerful, relevant story' -Everything Theatre
Temporal Horizons Productions present
A Man Calling Himself Coriolanus (A Work-In-Progress Performance) Written & directed by Harry Fitzpatrick (Based on William Shakespeare's Coriolanus)
13th & 14th July 2025
Temporal Horizons Productions is offering audiences in Clapham, London on the 13th and 14th July a taster for a new work-in-progress they are developing...
A play that looks at a group of actors in a cell in a not too distant future putting on the Shakespeare play THE TRAGEDY OF CORIOLANUS, a story dealing with themes of tyranny, masculinity, democracy and the inherent power within the common people! Only trouble is much of the play's being lost to time, so they've got to come up with new scenes and put what remains back together in the way they understand and potentially get those watching to assist!
Expect drama, audience participation, verse, prose, class struggles, those given the chance to do Shakespeare when many times their voices aren't heard in major productions in this rehearsed reading and you will have a chance to help us in shaping the development of the work!
Cast:
Arden Fitzroy (They/Them)
Unseen Theatre Present
Outing written & directed by L. T. Hewitt
15, 24 & 25 July
Jamie's girlfriend is expecting a proposal. His best friend's expecting him to come out as gay. One way or another, the truth will out...
After their successful debut with Slush Pile ★★★★(WestEndBestFriend.co.uk) – Unseen Theatre returns with a heartfelt comedy about sexuality, friendship and secrets. Outing explores the confusing grey area between friendship and romance, love and longing, truth and lies, tackling what it means to be queer, straight and completely and utterly confused.
Join Jamie, Ella and Adam for a fun-filled five years in 50 minutes – an Outing you'll never forget!
Pansy Productions present
The Sentimental Value of a Half-Eaten Biscuit and the Psychological Ramifications of a Lost Hair Tie by Siân Kayleigh, directed by Laura Price
17 - 19 July
Half eaten biscuit is what happens when you give a neurodiverse queer a to-do list and a bottle of wine. Oakley just wants to clean their room—but instead finds themselves deep in conversation with a pile of socks, re-enacting their seven-second childhood romance, and questioning whether their eyeliner has spiritual beef with them.
There’s laundry, there’s dancing, there’s identity crisis via old concert tickets. It’s like if Marie Kondo met a breakdown and they did a fringe show together.
It’s chaotic, deeply relatable, and probably illegal in some emotional jurisdictions. Bring snacks. And tissues. And maybe a bin bag.
Schoolhouse Productions presents
I’m Sexy and I Know It
written by Anna Friend, directed by Adam Elms
20 - 21 July
Anna Friend, award-winning queer theatre maker brings her sell-out 5* show to London.
Anna is Sexy. And she knows it.
...Or is she?
What she does know is that she’s had enough of trying to live up to the world’s standards. She's ready to break free and take back control of her life, and she’s inviting you to join her.
Through heartfelt comedy, 80’s nostalgia and a banging soundtrack, come and experience Anna’s journey of self-discovery. Along the way, she’ll make you laugh, cry and boogie as she recounts the struggles of growing up, coming out and facing the haters.
Reviews:
★★★★★“Everyone should watch this show. And I mean everyone.” – North Westend
★★★★“Anna’s storytelling is immediate and gripping... Her seamless transitions from reflective moments to bursts of humour not only entertain but resonate deeply” - Stagetalk Magazine
New Stagers presents
A Midsummer Night’s Dream
written by William Shakespeare, adapted and directed by Alice Collins
22 - 23 July
A Midsummer Night’s Dream as you’ve never seen it before. Shakespeare’s classic is transported to the set of your favourite reality TV dating show.
In this summer’s Athenian villa, a bombshell has been dropped: the public have voted to split up the hottest couple in the game.
Behind the scenes there’s dissent amongst the crew with the presenters’ stormy relationship on the rocks and the producers picking sides.
Into this firepit of feelings and factions, the producers break their boundaries and introduce their own brand of magic that will see more sparks fly than your typical return from Casa Amor.
Prompt Productions present
Loos Loos
by Ella Thornburn and Grace Boag-Matthews, directed by Maya Calcraft
28 July
Some things can’t just be wiped away…
Freya and Lou are seventeen and share everything - body spray, teachers’ green-biroed exasperations, their awkwardly navigated sexuality. Loos Loos spotlights a few tumultuous weeks of their friendship. Set entirely in the toilets of their ordinary school where they feel safe to be themselves, reigning as the ‘Cistern Sisters’, they attempt to bar the entry of darker outside reality. This unflinching portrayal of adolescence is intense and funny, rude and raw. There is a party and an assault. The friends struggle to bridge the gap between experience and understanding - how can you confront assault and revenge porn before you have the language to name it?
