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SHIRLEY KNOT THE SIREN

28 & 30 July

An evening of comedy cabaret, singing and all things fishy as she celebrates the joy of standing out from the shoal.

Ever wondered what happens to a siren when she ages?

Join Shirley for an evening of comedy cabaret, dancing and all things fishy as she celebrates the joy of standing out from the shoal.

Shirley is here to tell you she’ll not be put out to sea just yet, thank you very much. Shirley’s cabaret sails through many decades of life’s rubbish as a Siren on the rocks!

Awards:

Halifax Fringe Festival – Hot Seat Award 

Alternative Cabaret Battle – 2nd runner up

TWO WEIRD GUYS WHO ARE GAY (WIP)

29 July

Two weird guys who are gay talk about being weird and being gay.

Two of London’s weirdest and most exciting queer voices on the comedy circuit – Dick Denham and James Murphy – bring their surreal and absurdist split bill stand-up comedy show to the Camden Fringe for one night only!

Following his Camden Fringe debut in 2023 with his show Big Dick Energy, this time around Dick will offer his offbeat observations on being genderqueer in a heteronormative world, ageing, mental health, and the aspects of British culture we love to be indifferent about.

James will give a unique insight into life as a 6ft8 gay man with fiery absurdity, questioning society’s expectations – from popped lungs to marriage and kids, and the rapidly changing world we live in.

Dick Denham was the LGBTQ+ New Act Runner-Up 2022, has performed at various venues including the Pleasance Theatre as part of Nick Helm’s 2023 Christmas show, and has been described by Zoe Lyons as “really fun” and Stephen Bailey as a “joy to watch”.

James Murphy won the British Comedy Guide’s Performance Award 2022, was a Max Turner New Act Finalist, and 2Northdown New Act Finalist. he has been described by Chortle as “an elaborate, creative writer able to turn a phrase that’s comically off-kilter”.

LOVE YOU, BYE!

1 - 3 August

Songs, sketches and shenanigans galore.

Four zany broads performing outrageous and uproarious sketches. Who knew such a thing was possible? And more importantly, who allowed it?

Serious Billy Productions presents: Love You, Bye!, a new sketch comedy show, featuring a range of hilariously offbeat characters, from clumsy clairvoyants to cocky Cornish surfers.

One Hundred And Thirty Thousand Squirrels In London (And I Want Them All To Love Me)

4 & 5 August

One classically trained clown, a keyboard and an endlessly unfurling spool of string.

Singer-songwriter Zoë spirals her way through a cabaret of songs as catchy as they are surreal: ‘Existential Thoughts of a Freelancer’, ‘Floating Naked in a Magnesium Salt Bath With Your Mum’ and the overthinking junkies’ all time favourite ‘All Aboard the Spiral Train’.

Unspooling her life onto the stage — while trying not to get tied up in string – Zoë is on a hunt to figure out what exactly she is hunting for.

Expect sporadic flashes of experimental dance, wisdom and pigeons. Oh and the end notes of songs being held way too long.

LADYLIKES: HEAVILY MEDITATED

6 August

LADYLIKES are back with Spiritual chaos, bad advice, and big laughs in their latest Work-in-Progress sketch show.

It’s been five years since LADYLIKES took the world (okay, pockets of Brighton, London and Edinburgh) by storm with their debut Top Secret House Party! Now, after a pandemic, political pandemonium, and turning thirty, these two lost millennials are back with their new work-in-progress sketch show, Heavily Meditated—armed with crystals, chaotic energy, and questionable life choices.

This work-in-progress sketch show explores womanhood, spirituality, and millennial burnout through LADYLIKES’ signature blend of high-energy character comedy, original songs, and gloriously self-deprecating satire. Expect manifesting madness, contacting toxic male ghosts, and the guided meditation nobody asked for.

Previous audiences have praised LADYLIKES for their ‘razor-sharp writing’, ‘brilliant chemistry’ and ‘bubbly energy onstage’. LADYLIKES are proud to be Soho Theatre Young Company Alumni, Funny Women nominees, Sketch Off Semi Finalists and British Comedy Guide’s Top Picks of the Fringe.

Starring NewsRevue alumni, Phoebe Batteson-Brown and Miztli Rose, this show is perfect for fans of Smack the Pony, Fleabag, and screaming into the void – LADYLIKES invite you to come get Heavily Meditated.

SEVEN MINUTES AND A DOLPHIN

8 - 10 August

Love, laughter, chaos, and a dolphin – what even is a happy ending?

Have you ever had the best idea ever but nobody else was on board? Ever had that friend that is just SO EXTRA all of the time, but that’s why you love them? Ever felt that embarrassing mistake come back to bite you, or written a really cheesy love song?

Except this isn’t a chick flick, it’s real life. What even is a happy ending?

Seven Minutes and a Dolphin is a piece of new writing, brought to the stage by Wavelength Theatre. As a youth-led production company, Wavelength represents a multitude of young identities, and challenges expectations of ‘happily ever after’. We aim for you to feel immersed and invested in the world of our characters and take away a piece of our show and company with you.

This is a wholesome, fast-paced comedy, that follows a group of family friends on a cruise holiday. When a tsunami is detected coming their way, rumours spiral, relationships bloom and fall, and friendships are tested. This modern romcom-sitcom on the stage is full of family, friendship, love, laughter, chaos, and a couple of dolphins to top it all off.

Hop on board and join us for the trip of a lifetime…

MERELY PLAYERS: TIME TO GO!

11 August

Fighting Demons & Dice Rolls, 5 actors have 50 minutes to save reality and they don’t know their characters yet…What could go wrong?

Rifts have been opening throughout the multiverse threatening to rip reality apart! There is only one group of adventurers who have any hope of saving it. Only they can venture into the dungeon, close the portal and save existence itself! There’s only one problem…they don’t know who they are yet. Oh,
and they only have 50 minutes before the rifts tear everything apart!

Join Merely Players in a chaotic, real time Dungeons and Dragons adventure where a bunch of professionally trained actors have 50 minutes to bumble their way through puzzles, challenges and demons as they try to save all of creation. Using the D&D 5e system, Merely Players bring their storytelling to the stage for the first time letting you in on the chaos! With new adventurers and worlds in each show, no adventure will be the same! Victory or defeat hangs in the balance.

Dare you join the adventure?

DON’T CALL ME BLONDIE

12 & 13 August

Six self-contained monologues that are linked by themes of love, lust and heartbreak.

This summer, come and watch a series of six monologues – all self-contained pieces that are linked by themes of love, lust and heartbreak. The characters are captivating, their words poignant and biting. A thought-provoking sixty minute piece with equal parts comedy and drama.This is a piece of new writing from up-and-coming playwright, Belle-Ann Daly-Morgan. This marks the debut of Echoism Productions, hosted at the Canal Café Theatre as a part of Camden Fringe ‘25. 

BOY CRAZY

15 & 16 August

A hilarious yet heartfelt deep dive into love, longing, and learning to stop looking for validation in all the wrong places.

Boy Crazy is a bold, fast-paced, and deeply funny exploration of love, self-worth, and the relentless pursuit of romance. This one-woman show unpacks a lifetime of seeking validation through love, told through journal entries, childhood memories, and hilariously disastrous dating stories. From playground crushes to modern dating apps, Helena takes the audience on a whirlwind journey through her tangled history with love, lust, and heartbreak -only to realize the person she’s been chasing might be herself.

Blending raw vulnerability with sharp humor, Boy Crazy taps into the universal experience of longing, rejection, and the often absurd expectations placed on women in love. Inspired in part by A Midsummer Night’s Dream’s Helena, this show explores the fine line between devotion and desperation, asking: Why do we chase people who don’t want us? Why do we see love as a prize to win? And what happens when we finally stop running?

Perfect for fans of Fleabag, Bridget Jones’s Diary, and Crazy Ex-Girlfriend, Boy Crazy is a heartfelt and hilarious deep dive into the highs and lows of romance, self-discovery, and what it truly means to find your voice.

THE LESBIANS OF FOREST GATE

16 & 17 August

A new play derived from interviews with lesbian, queer, bisexual, pansexual, transgender, and nonbinary people living in Forest Gate over the past 60 years.

“These are the women that have paved the way for me.”

The Lesbians of Forest Gate is a radical new play derived from interviews with lesbian, queer, bisexual, pansexual, transgender, and nonbinary people living in Forest Gate over the past 60 years. The piece explores the development of the lesbian identity, the friendships and relationships that built a community, and how these lived experiences are interwoven into the tapestry of Forest Gate today.

From behind the bar at Forest Tavern, queer creator Emily Wollenberg witnesses the daily lives of queer women, their lovers, friends, and families, and was inspired to document their stories. Using oral histories, archival research, sapphic love letters, poems, and art, Wollenberg and Unearthed Theatre Company have created a piece that sheds light on a community so often written out of history.

Unyielding, vibrant, and honest, The Lesbians of Forest Gate proves documenting stories of women loving women is an act of resistance and queer joy is revolutionary.

OPERATION BLANK

17 - 20 August

A show where nothing happens, nothing is funny and nothing is defeated.

Someone has dropped an atom bomb on Copenhagen. With all-out war looming, an under qualified junior staffer in the British government must somehow stimulate a response from his idiotic superiors. There is just one thing standing in his way: Microsoft Teams.

Welcome to Operation Blank, a captivating surrealist comedy by debut playwright, George Grant. The show explores the sensation of unfulfillment, and the anxiety that stems from attempting to correct it in uncertain times. Existing entirely within a surreal teams call, Grant expertly blends stage and
screen to create an immersive experience that will be all to familiar for those of use inflicted with the tedium of online working. The protagonist takes centre stage, alone, joined virtually by a colourful cast of characters projected behind him. Together, they conspire against all the odds to do nothing, and nothing has ever been so frustrating.

Operation Blank is a culmination of Grant’s own journey, representing his first writing credit since transitioning to the performing arts from his former career as a bridge engineer. “I wrote the first draft whilst drunk on a late train during a low point at work. It was an honest, slightly jaded, reflection of how I felt my own life had turned out. Ironically, it grew from there into the script that gave me the confidence to leave that life behind and pursue writing full time. I truly believe this is the start of something special, and I can’t wait to share it with you all!”

So join us for Operation Blank at the Canal Cafe Theatre, a show where nothing happens, nothing is funny and nothing will have you desperate for more!

SHIPFACED

19 - 21 August

Midlife meltdown meets houseboat survival—stand-up that’s gloriously unfiltered.

After years of honing her sharp, satirical voice onstage and online, Holly Hudson brings her acclaimed solo stand-up show Shipfaced to the Canal Café Theatre as part of Camden Fringe for three performances this August.

With over 150,000 Instagram followers and millions of views on her viral sketches lampooning American politics, midlife reinvention, and cultural absurdities, Hudson is no stranger to making audiences laugh. Shipfaced is the next evolution of her stand-up: a brutally funny and fiercely honest hour about starting over at 50—following divorce, a house fire, and a move onto a London houseboat with no plan beyond Wi-Fi and a will to survive.

The show weaves together single parenthood, expat identity crises, useless ex-husbands, and kombucha-fuelled optimism, all delivered with biting wit and emotional bite.

WONDERSCAPE

22 - 23 August

When creativity meets ego, wonder turns dangerous in this magical tale.

Wonderscape follows Finley, a brilliant but reckless inventor who creates a device that promises to change the world. Stirring chaos and creativity, Finley’s ambition spirals, and the friendships around him begin to fray. He is met with a day of self-reckoning and a heavy decision to make. Blending elements of magical realism, humour, and emotional twists, the play examines ego and the cost of success and asks a powerful question: what are we willing to sacrifice in the pursuit of greatness?

Led and founded by writer and director Roxanne Barron, this emerging company first developed Wonderscape through a university project, where it received first-class recognition. Since then, it has been workshopped at Baron’s Court Theatre and performed at The Cockpit Theatre, where feedback from audiences, actors, and industry professionals helped sharpen the script into its final, hour-long form. Wonderscape is designed for flexible staging and accessible to audiences aged 12+, offering something for all viewers.

With its inventive storytelling, vibrant characters, and striking relevance to today’s fast-moving world, Wonderscape promises to be a must-see highlight of the Camden Fringe 2025.

LAUGHING MATTERS

22 - 23 August

When a comedian’s life changes overnight, Laughing Matters explores his struggle to pick up the pieces of his life and his material.

Part stand-up show, part soul-searching monologue, Laughing Matters is a bittersweet exploration of grief, love, and creativity. 

The show follows Chris, an up-and-coming stand-up comedian as a major and tragic life event forces him to throw out his once-reliable stand-up material and start again. As he struggles to rebuild his set and his life, he must also confront deeper questions about truth, performance, and what it means to be authentic.

With a blend of humoUr, heartbreak, and hope, Laughing Matters pulls back the curtain on the process of turning life’s most painful moments into something worth laughing at.

JOLLY: A PLAY ABOUT PYRATES

3, 5 & 6 August

Condemned! For high seas pyracy! Friends of no nation! Guilty of feral crymes against the crowne! Three anarchic pyrates in their final hours.

Locked in a brig and sailing to certain death, three raucous pyrates have their fellowship hanging by a thread. When a rebellious crew member is thrown into their cell they see an opportunity to escape.

Will they unite behind this common goal, or fall divided?

Pirates have been mythologised throughout the centuries for their brutal violence, but the surprisingly progressive aspects of their lifestyle are often forgotten. While British and Spanish empires committed atrocities in the ‘new world’, these friends of no nation were championing a society of democracy,
equality, and freedom.

In a time of rising populism, when social divisions are becoming ever more entrenched and the legacy of empire looms, ‘Jolly’ channels the ‘long gone’ era of pirates to satirise our modern political landscape. With a smirk and a bottle of rum, this play suggests that perhaps those vagabonds of the salty seas, with their radical resistance to imperial expansion, aren’t as far off in history as we think.

With shaky candle-lit lighting, rousing sea shanties, and irreverent humour, ‘Jolly’ explores the myth, reality and politics of pirates by combining historical sources and archival research with fiction.

Sorry, I Can’t Come Into Work. My Cat Died.

19 & 20 September

Then it didn’t. …Oops.

An absurdist dark comedy about grief, avoidance, and one very old cat… who happens to be a Leo.

Ivy’s cat dies. Then comes back. No one believes her, and she’s left dealing with the mess – emotionally, logistically, and spiritually – while trying to say goodbye properly (and figure out how to spell “eulogy”… harder than expected).

The piece follows Ivy’s week as she tries to hold onto her job, her flat, and whatever’s left of her sanity after it turns out her cat never actually died. “Whose ashes are these?” becomes a real and pressing concern.

It’s fast-paced, character-driven, and lives somewhere between Extraordinary and Candide: absurd, sincere, and a little bit unhinged.

Beneath the chaos, it’s a show about loneliness, corporate wellness theatre, and the difficulty of cleaning up a mess you didn’t mean to make – especially when you’re the only one left in the room.



AS THE SNOW FALLS

6 - 11 October

A comedic drama exploring the power of music and its ability to unite.

As the Snow Falls follows Kenneth and Sam – two men from starkly different cultural backgrounds, both abandoned by society in very contrasting ways.

Despite their differences, they are ultimately united by a shared grief and a love of music. This powerful comedic drama examines the shifting social landscape and its impact on an often overlooked demographic. Through the lens of an ever diminishing pub culture, Kenneth and Sam’s unlikely connection emerges from one man’s desperate search for meaning.

The play explores themes of cultural starvation, male isolation, suicide, toxic masculinity, knife crime and division through technology – ultimately questioning what happens when the arts are stripped away from the working class.