WHAT'S ON at THE BREAD AND ROSES
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Second Act Presents
A Beautiful Friendship
2 - 6 September
by Phil and Cristina Austinez, directed by Robin Johannsen
Richard is determined to lift his best friend, Charlie, out of his post-divorce slump by secretly signing him up for a dating site. With a wedding just days away, Charlie reluctantly agrees to meet Adèle, a dazzling Frenchwoman, donning his unworn Humphrey Bogart fedora for the occasion. But Richard doesn’t trust him to get it right, so he hangs around — disguised with a hat of his own. What he doesn’t expect is his own date, Calista, arriving early at the wrong bar, with a suspicious interest in Charlie and Adèle. And then there’s the meddling waitress, who wants to get in on the action.
A Beautiful Friendship is a laugh-out-loud romantic comedy for the stage, asking the age-old questions: how do you actually find love? Will love bring happiness? And who's bringing me a Screaming Orgasm?
A Beautiful Friendship is written by Phil and Cristina Austínez. Produced by Second Act, it brings together a stellar cast of south west London's finest actors: Mia Skytte, David Hamilton, Debi Wright plus Phil and Cristina.
Don't miss this five-star comedy!
Kit Thompson presents
Monster'd
9 - 13 September
written by Paloma Oakenfold & directed by George Richmond-Scott & Paloma Oakenfold
Monster’d is a bold, messy, heart-wrenching and hilarious new play about a girl named Aurelie, created in a lab by a scientist who just wanted a friend.
She’s a monster. She’s a child. She’s Shakespeare. She’s an outcast. She’s us.
In a chaotic mash-up of Frankenstein, school trauma, institutional gaslighting and the complete works of the Bard, Aurelie fights to be seen in a world that tells her she's broken.
It’s a story about neurodivergence, self-worth, resilience, and what it really means to belong.
“A moving and deftly constructed piece of autobiographical theatre - full of insight, emotion and abundant imagination.” - David Byrne, Artistic Director & CEO, The Royal Court Theatre.
LAMBETH FRINGE LAUNCH PARTY 2025!
13 September
Join Us for The Lambeth Fringe Launch Party!
Kick off our 2025 festival at our exclusive launch party, taking over The Bread & Roses Pub! This is your chance to network, meet the Lambeth Fringe team, and dive into the vibrant world of our festival.
Date: 13 September 2025
Time: From 6:30 PM until late
Location: The Bread & Roses Pub
What to Expect:
- Network: Connect with artists, venues, and key community figures.
- Meet the Team: Get to know the team behind The Lambeth Fringe.
- Promote Your Work: Bring your flyers and posters to share and pick up your Lambeth Fringe Brochures.
- Artists exclusive: Performing with us? Grab your exclusive artist pass for The Lambeth Fringe.
- Wellbeing: Meet 'Wellbeing in the Arts' team for questions and insights into looking after your wellbeing while working in the arts.
- Media Opportunities: Rub elbows with photographers and press.
- Complimentary Drink: On us, to toast the beginning of a spectacular festival (first come first serve)!
- Entertainment: Mesmerising burlesque from Soho School of Burlesque , get funky with DJ Camkahla and boogie with Henry King!
- This is a free event, but space is limited, so RSVP early to secure your spot.
We can't wait to celebrate from the very heart of our festival at our founding venue. BIG PARTY VIBES! See you there!
Fleshment Theatre presents
Shakespeare Slam
16 September
Monologues by William Shakespeare, directed by Heather Kirk & Hannah Brownlie
Join us for an evening of Shakespeare monologues and stories, as we launch our brand new theatre company: ‘Fleshment Theatre’. An event giving actors the rare opportunity to perform Shakespeare monologues to an audience - don’t miss out on a night of classical fun!
Instagram: @fleshmenttheatre
Running time: 2 hours including a 20min interval
Poor Penny Production Company present
Death Of The West
written by Adam Spy, directed by Oliver Lamb
10 - 20 September
A Tale set within the old American west.
We Follow Isaac West, born to the infamous, William West, was a deplorable and vicious man known for murdering another man, a father, for no good reason, known for stealing from folk. Gambling, drinking, whoring and an assorted list of sinful misdeeds just like his father.
Yet, he is most scarcely remembered for saving… a writer from death or worse.
And getting himself killed doing it.
LAMBETH FRINGE FESTIVAL RETURNS CELEBRATING 10 YEARS WITH A PROGRAMME OF OVER 200 EVENTS 25 Sept - 25 Oct
Celebrating the vibrant culture & community of Lambeth, platforming underrepresented voices in the arts, produced by the team behind Bread and Roses Theatre
Programme highlights include:
Week 1, 25 – 28 Sept: CatGPT - Feline & Ferall (26 – 27 Sept) the ridiculous but true story of how one man dealt with the death of his beloved cat by bringing it back to life with tech, ingenuity and AI. In drag burlesque satire BINCELS (26 Sept) three incels hatch rotten plots to defeat the imminent threat of a “femoid” takeover delving into online subculture of InCels. In Bog Body: A One-Woman Show (25 Sept & 20 Oct) forensic anthropologist Dr. Alyssa Kim takes the audiences through a thrilling lecture about the discovery of a cursed 2000-year-old body found in a bog as she faces off against an ancient monster and her own deepest fears. The children of Lambeth are invited Myths, Maps & Monsters: Zeus' Birthday Bash! (27 – 28 Sept), but what promises to be a great celebration is tragically cut short when the evil Medusa steals all the birthday treats. The audience must navigate a chaotic world of mischievous Gods, wise Goddesses, and fearsome monsters, to retrieve the treasure, defeat Medusa, and restore order to Ancient Greece.
Week 2, 29 Sept – 5 Oct: A children’s poetry show for all the senses, A Noise Annoys (4 Oct) features rhymes, noises, songs, surprises and lots of interaction on a journey through the sounds of language and the language of sounds. The Ultimate Bubble Show (3 – 4 Oct) Ray Bubbles, International Bubbleologist and Guinness World Record Holder crafts bubble sculptures, volcanoes, bubble ghosts and a tornado inside a bubble in a show for children and adults. A comedy exploring the hidden propaganda in outdated children’s entertainment, Elephant in the Room (29 – 30 Sept) follows 94-year-old Babar, king of the elephants and one of the most adored childhood cartoons around the world, as he investigates if Babar is really the colonialist elephant in the room we've all been ignoring.
Week 3, 6 – 12 Oct: Willy Witches (8 – 10 Oct) four women navigate life in 17th Century England as women trying not to be burnt at the stake, crossing paths with an indifferent priest, a sassy teenage witch, a terrifying witch hunter and the men who are mourning the loss of their members. In outdoor experimental show Lost The Plot (8 Oct) a trio at the beginning of nowhere awaken to find nothing but a baby mobile above them and with no explanation for why they exist. MJ Hibbet: Data and Dr Doom (11 Oct) is a one-man musical performed by MJ Hibbet, the world's leading (also only) academic expert on Doctor Doom, explaining how all fictional characters can be understood with stats and randomised stratified sampling and why Doctor Doom is better than Batman.
Week 4, 13 – 19 Oct: head bucket bed (13 Oct) is a dance theatre performance building surrealist dreamscapes to explore the relationship between bodies and objects by playfully interacting, merging and transforming the material environment. In An Evening With Nana Funk (17 Oct), the great-great-grandmother of good times, Nana Funk, believes ageing well doesn’t mean behaving yourself in this One Nana cabaret show. This Wasn't the Plan (15 Oct) sees comedians Iman Ahmedani and Stuti Johri navigate identity, illness, love, and the messy art of self-acceptance in a show painting a tapestry of their experiences as women of colour in their early 30s. Mother Knows Best (18 – 19 Oct) is a play exploring how oppression is cyclical and how domesticity hides the horrors of the world outside your front door, through three daughters and mothers arguments taking place in three Jewish homes: one in 1900s Russia, one in 1960s South Africa, and one in 2020s Israel.
Week 5, 20 – 25 Oct: Thou Shalt Sit The F*** Down (20 – 21 Oct) Ben Everett Riley tells the true stories of the awkward, the outrageous and the outright unbelievable world of kid’s entertainment that you never knew existed in our very city. Joan: The Musical (20 Oct) is a triumphant tale about a woman’s dwindling confidence and her journey of self-discovery following Joan, an ex-West End dancer scorned by her ex-husband's wayward ways. #Hysteria: A History of Human Sexuality (20 – 21 Oct) is a satirical, educational comedy show exploring the historical views and problems surrounding sexuality and the health system. In Jane Eyre Convention (24 Oct) aficionados gather at the Jane Eyre convention to squabble over lines, scenes and interpretations as they piece together their reenactment of the book, but beneath the arguing and scene-stealing, real-life stories emerge and emotions run amok.
Events at Bread and Roses Theatre
Interview with festival producer
