WHAT'S ON at THE BROCKLEY JACK THEATRE
Concise and easy to use
NOTE: Wheelchair access is available at this venue, please enquire when booking ticket.
What a Gay Day! – The Larry Grayson Story
by Tim Connery
26 - 30 August
directed by Alex Donald
presented by The Bridge House Theatre
Larry Grayson, one of the country’s best-loved light entertainers, is back from The Other Side (no, not ITV) to tell the story of his extraordinary life. Larry was the camp stand-up who, with his innuendo-laden tales, told stories of friends like Everard and Slack Alice.
In this fusion of autobiographical reminiscing and stand-up, Larry reveals all. From his birth in 1923 to an unmarried mother at a time when such things brought nothing but shame, to his fostering by a hard-working miner and his family, Larry maintained an incredible drive to become a variety star at a time when variety was dying.
Drag artist, comedian, song-and-dance man, Larry did it all, but he was consigned to showbusiness oblivion by an early TV appearance. No one, least of all Larry, expected him to become a major light entertainment star later in life, with his shows watched by over 20 million people on Saturday nights in the 1970s and 1980s.
A gay man at a time when homosexuality was illegal, he was marginalised by his own sexuality, but was also bizarrely targeted by the Gay Liberation Front for not being what they wanted to promote. The camp comic who paved the way for so many others, he is now in danger of being forgotten. So spend an evening with Larry, his hilarious friends, his anecdotes and catchphrases, and the humour of the decades he lived though, and find out what he did in the Rolls Royce that he could not drive.
SE FEST IS BACK FOR THE SECOND YEAR
SE Fest is a theatre festival based in southeast London to promote and celebrate new writing. It is hosted for the second year by two neighbouring venues, The Bridge House Theatre in Penge and The Jack Studio Theatre in Crofton Park, two award-winning theatres with a reputation for supporting and presenting new work.
PROGRAMME OF SHOWS:
It Never Rains by Wendy Fisher
directed by Ralph Bogard
Funny, Moving, Honest
Three generations. Countless secrets. One world in crisis. It Never Rains is a tender, unflinching piece of new writing.
When the marriages of Sarah’s daughter and granddaughter fall apart, she shares her home and more truths than she ever intended. As rising tides threaten their family home, three women are forced to confront buried histories, fragile bonds, and the legacy they’ll leave behind.
Blending evocative storytelling, sharp humour, and haunting imagery, It Never Rains navigates the intersections of family, memory, and climate change. This intimate, intergenerational tale asks: what do we hold on to when the world around us is slipping away?
Tuesday 2 – Wednesday 3 September @ 7.30pm at the Jack Studio
Thursday 5 September @ 7.30pm at the Bridge House Theatre
Suitable 12+
Booking here
Eat. Sleep. Ruminate. Repeat by Jaylie Wayling
directed by Karol Olszewski
Chaotic. Silly. Honest
How can our thoughts be SO painfully ridiculous, yet we convince ourselves they’re facts?
You can create evidence out of nothing. Convince yourself you’re the worst person on earth. Trap yourself in an endless loop of “OMG I shouldn’t have said that,” “why am I so awkward?!”
Jaylie is a boss-level overthinker. Her thoughts are like a word vomit of worry. Inside her head, she sees Jaylie 2.0, the version of herself she wishes to be. To Jaylie’s frustration, it appears Jaylie 2.0 just gets life, is a free and unphased soul. Together, they unravel the nonsense and hilarity of her brain. Will she EVER stop overthinking?
Thursday 4th September @ 7.30pm, Jack Studio Theatre
Tuesday 2nd & Wednesday 3rd @ 7.30pm, Bridge House Theatre
Suitable 14+
Booking here
Vernon by Gary Bates
directed by Tash Marks
Funny, Tragic, Moving
‘What’s it like? Being dead?’
‘It’s like having a good long sleep, and happy dreams’
‘Doesn’t sound that bad’ she said
Vernon deals in death every day. For him it’s nothing to fear. This is just another funeral.
As he reflects on his job, and how that has informed his attitude to death, Vernon insists he can cope. He’s in control. But gradually he begins to face his demons – how past choices, mistakes and missed opportunities have impacted his life, his ambitions, and his relationships with those he loves.
And we begin to understand the devastating truth as to why Vernon is here.
This one-man play from Writer/Actor Gary Bates and Director Tash Marks moves from humour to tragedy, exploring themes of love, loss, regret, the challenges of parenting, and the mental pressures on young people.
Cast: Gary Bates
Friday 5th September @ 7.30pm, Jack Studio Theatre
Saturday 6th September @ 3.00pm and 7.30pm, Bridge House Theatre
Suitable 14+
Booking here
Post Grad by Kadijah Hayden
Funny, Whimsical, Moving
Graduation for many is a rite of passage, a right to freedom, the end of a long hard journey of academia, crumbling debt and numerous study sessions. However once you are handed your diploma the world is your oyster. Apparently.
But no one tells you how to operate this new scary and treacherous journey.
For fresh new drama school graduate Assata the life of stage, theatre, film and cameras she envisioned post graduation don’t seem to be shaping in the way she pictured. The dreams and goals she wanted to achieve feel very out of reach.
Can she really make it? Follow her journey as she tries to figure it out. One day at a time….
Cast: Dijah Hayden-Assata
Saturday 6th September @ 3.00pm & 7.30 pm, Jack Studio Theatre
Friday 5th September @ 7.30pm, Bridge House Theatre
Suitable 14+
Booking here
How to Date by Stephanie McNeil
directed by Isabel Steuble-Johnson
Relatable, Capturing, Comical
How To Date is a dark comedy by Stephanie McNeil exploring naivety and vulnerabilities faced by young women in London.
Clarissa, an independent girl from North London meets Emily, a spoiled girl from Cheltenham, who dreams of being a film star. Eagerly searching for partners, they face the realities of the disastrous dating scene in London.
A spiral of events soon escalates, there’s career pressures, new relationships and mental health struggles to accompany their friendship. When difficult events from the past arise, we learn of the importance of friendship and opening up to others. The story is inspired by Stephanie’s own experiences growing up and aims to raise awareness for other young women.
Written by Stephanie McNeil
Directed by Isabel Steuble-Johnson
Designed by Isabella Sarmiento Abadia
Lighting Designer: Melody Mengyun
Sound Designer: Emeka Diamond
Choreographer: Isabel Steuble-Johnson
Cast
Emily – Stephanie McNeil
Clarissa – Mia Rose-Davson
Henry and Bar Manager – Danny Jeffs
Rushane and Max – Seyi Ogunniyi
Tuesday 9th – Wednesday 10th September @ 7.30 pm, Jack Studio Theatre
Thursday 10th @ 7.30pm, Bridge House Theatre
Suitable: 18+
Booking here
Spin Cycle by Zofia Zerphy
directed by Bethan Rose
presented by Berserk Theatre
Queer Love Story
Kitt can be a bit of a bitch sometimes. Noel can be an asshole.
Noel and Kitt lock eyes in the neon glow of a launderette, a queer feeling washing over them – they’re strangers, maybe, but something feels too familiar.
Spin Cycle is a queer story about the space between loving someone and not, forgetting and remembering, dirty and clean clothes. It is a bittersweet, absurdist piece that delves into a complex relationship and explores how love can affect someone, even when they can’t remember how… or when… or why.
Spin Cycle is a new play by Berserk Theatre, following An Average Family ★★★★ and How to Urn a Living ★★★★
“Fresh and Clever… Immediately Engaging” Jodie Adams (Senior Underbelly Programmer)
Cast
Kitt – Zofia Zerphy
Noel – Rhiannon Bell
Friday 12th September @ 7.30pm, Jack Studio Theatre
Saturday 13th September @ 3.00pm & 7.30pm, Bridge House Theatre
Suitable 12+
Booking here
ALPHABET RAINBOW – a Fistful of Queer Plays
written and directed by Nick Myles
“Funny, heartwarming, shocking…” Brighton & Hove News
The Brighton Fringe Festival hit comes to London!
Unexpected, Gripping, True
Fresh from an acclaimed run in Brighton, writer/director Nick Myles presents his latest show: a typically varied and surprising collection of five short plays exploring queer lives today.
It’s not about labels or choosing a letter to identify yourself with. Alphabet Rainbow is simply five slices of exceptional theatrical storytelling. There are laughs, high drama, politics, families of varying shapes, and relationships of all different shades.
Here you’ll meet characters including an unexpected twink, a principled lesbian and a grumpy bi guy, brought to life by a cast of superb actors in perfectly formed plays covering subjects from illicit sex to first love, the trauma of betrayal and the joy of hope.
“Stellar… beautifully crafted and performed. Queer theatre at its absolute best.” ★★★★★ Voice Mag
“Incredibly well-honed scripts… It works on so many levels.” Brighton & Hove News
“Excellent!!!” Nigel May, Brighton Gaydio
Cast
Jay & Jamie – Evan Emanuel
Neil & Cole – Neil James
Lisa – Terry Diab
Sam – Matthew Hodson
Saturday 13th September @ 3.00pm & 7.30pm, Jack Studio Theatre
Friday 12th @ 7.30pm, Bridge House Theatre
Suitable 14+
Booking here
by Oscar Wilde
directed by Cecilia Thoden van Velzen
presented by Third Thing Productions
16 - 27 September 7.30pm
Set against the backdrop of widespread social and political unrest in turn-of-the-century Tsarist Russia, Oscar Wilde’s little-known first play is a gripping and provocative story of idealism, conspiracy, and corruption.
As social unrest sweeps across Russia, a young woman by the name of Vera Sabouroff travels to Moscow to avenge her brother’s unjust imprisonment. Driven initially by a desire for vengeance, Vera becomes embroiled with a secretive faction of social radicals known as the Nihilists and rapidly becomes their most proficient assassin.
United only by their rejection of societal norms and their desire to spark a nationwide revolution, the group hatch a daring plot – to murder the Czar and free their nation from the grip of tyranny. But when her ideals are brought into conflict with her heart, Vera finds herself doubting the cause for which she has risked everything.
‘The curing of Russia is a surgeon’s business and done by the knife.’
Oscar Wilde wrote Vera; or, The Nihilists, a drama about Russian revolutionaries, a decade before he made his name with his first society comedy, Lady Windermere’s Fan. A planned one-off performance in London in 1881 was cancelled, possibly due to the play’s controversial politics, and the New York premiere was a flop: Wilde described it as the “sharpest agony” of his life.
This production – the first-ever London revival – is directed and reconceptualised by Cecilia Thoden van Velzen, founder of production company Greensleeved. It is the debut production from Third Thing Productions.
