WHAT'S ON at THE HOPE THEATRE
Concise and Easy to use
Tuesday 21st October 2025 - Saturday 8th November 2025
In your darkest hour, what would you wish for?
In Edwardian London, newlyweds John and Jenny White set up home together. They look forward to a happy and prosperous life, their home echoing with the laughter of their children. As the years pass, things do not turn out the way they had hoped. Living in an isolated cottage on a pitch-black street, with a world war rumbling away in the background and the price of everything going through the roof, John and Jenny face the ravages of poverty and childlessness.One day, a mysterious, ancient object comes into their possession, a ghoulish talisman that seems to grant wishes. Could this be the remedy for all their troubles? Or is it something more sinister, with the power to plunge them into far deeper miseries?
Adapted from the macabre Edwardian ghost story by W. W. Jacobs, we bring you a re-imagining of The Monkey's Paw: a spine-tingling warning of the dangers of meddling with fate and a chilling reminder to be careful what you wish for.
10 - 14 November
Following their smash hit Edinburgh Fringe debut, THUNK Productions presents PARATROOPERS at the Hope Theatre!
Frank Fletcher, long-time senior MP for Cackby has suddenly died. Labour Party members have gathered at North Cackby Community Arts Centre to choose a successor. But when Mackenzie Steele and Connor Banks happen to be the only "high-quality" candidates born in Cackby, how much of a choice do you really have?
"A frenetic triumph and cautionary tale" - The Live Review ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
"Hilarious and clever comedy" - Everything Theatre ⭐⭐⭐⭐
15 & 16 November
Wisdomless is a bold new solo play by multi-award-winning writer and performer Maria Shehata. Blending stand-up, storytelling, and theatrical flashbacks, it hurls the past into the present through the eyes of Reem, an Egyptian-American woman caught between love, faith, and identity. When Reem leaves Los Angeles for London, all for a fiancé she met through a screen, she finds herself in a collision of her family’s expectations, her culture’s traditions, and her own restless ambition. Her parents once made their own leap of faith, moving from Cairo to Ohio after knowing each other for just three days. Now Reem is unwittingly writing her own version of that story, caught between inherited traditions and the life she dreams of creating. From ancient Coptic wedding vows that demand submission ("For he is your husband, and to him you will submit"), to the modern chaos of a long-distance love story, Wisdomless is about finding a voice that can honor where you come from without losing who you are.
Hailed by British Comedy Guide as “so effortlessly engaging, the audience would gladly take a half-hour encore,” Maria Shehata jumps between past and present, arranged marriage and creative chaos, that is heartfelt, honest, and hilarious.
DING DONG, THE WITCH IS GAY 17th - 19th November 7pm
Get ready for a spellbinding night of laughter and rebellion as Ding Dong, The Witch is Gay! flies into The Hope Theatre this November. Written by Molly Pickup and directed by Maddie Hurley, this bold new comedy reimagines history with a queer twist: it follows young witch Alice as she faces persecution from none other than King James VI, whose bruised ego and rejected romantic advances spark chaos and absurdity.
In this sharp, energetic retelling, Ding Dong, The Witch is Gay! playfully explores witchcraft, queerness, and misogyny, unearthing the echoes of historical injustice that still reverberate today. With humour as its weapon and heart as its compass, the show celebrates women, outsiders, and anyone who dares to be unapologetically themselves.
As a female and non-binary queer collective, this show is passionate about reimagining history that is still ruled by patriarchal rhetoric. As the show says, "This play is, as the trials always were, first and foremost for the people’s entertainment."
Blending satire, physical comedy, and contemporary commentary, Ding Dong, The Witch is Gay! invites audiences to laugh, think, and maybe even cackle a little louder than usual.
MY MATE DAVE 20 - 21 Nov 7pm
Everyone loves a 'Dave' right? Rightly so! We're the best! Good listeners, loyal, affectionate, house trained ... for the most part. Everyone needs a 'Dave' in their life and if you don't have one I highly suggest you get one. Maybe I could be that Dave?
I should say that if you've already got a 'Dave' in your life, maybe I'm not for you. There can never be two Dave's ... ask your Dave. He'll know what I'm talking about.
Mind you a few people have lost this 'Dave' along the way. Or did I lose them.In this new show David Ellis takes a good look at himself and the company he keeps. Friends have always been one of the most important things in his life but as you get older and circumstances change ... maybe some friendships just aren't made to last.
David is a Jewish actor, comedian and award-winning writer originally from Bedford. He's played to sold out crowds in London, Edinburgh, Off-Broadway, Toronto and across Australia. He's performed with long running comedy shows NewsRevue, Shit-faced Shakespeare, Potted Potter and The Reduced Shakespeare Company. As a comedian he was a semi-finalist of the Max Turner Prize and is a graduate of the Royal Court Writer's Programme.
At the Edinburgh Fringe 2023 and '24 David played to full houses and his show 'The Worst Jew' received fantastic reviews.
"Delivered in an erratic outpouring of amusing anecdotes, Ellis proceeds to weave a personal history ... It’s quick, it’s funny and whatever you consider Ellis’s Jewish credentials to be, The Worst Jew is certainly worth an hour of your time" Jewish Renaissance ★★★★
24 November
Courtney’s +1 – because comedy is better with company (and because Courtney cannot stand to be alone with her thoughts).
Award-winning comedian Courtney (as seen on BBC, 60M+ views online, 5-star sold-out EdFringe stand up show, Best of Comedy winner @ Fuse Festival) is back with a brand-new show. But this time, she’s not coming alone.
Each show, Courtney and an incredibly talented comedy star will bring their freshest, funniest material! Some of the material will have never been seen before and depending on your reactions…might never be seen again.
A night of bold risks, brilliant stand-up and some of the most talented comedians around. Come for the chaos and be a part of the creation of both comedian’s newest shows.
25 - 29 November'
Tanked' explores the love and fear within a relationship, with an anthropomorphic approach and clowning style. Playing off of the concept of looking at a relationship through a fishbowl. All of which is captured through a documentarian lense in the form of a live feed camera!
'Tanked' is fresh off the back of a successful run at the Edinburgh Fringe, with co-performers Isaac Morris and Maddie Maycock having initially created the piece in 2024.
THE BOLINE INN 2nd - 13th December 7PM
Welcome to the Boline Inn, where you can escape from the modern world of cassette tapes, shoulder pads and perms. Within its walls, a warm welcome, and the whispers of the women who came before you.
This winter, join Jane on the search to find her missing uncle - a search that leads her to The Boline Inn where she is welcomed by the weird and wonderful women who keep the place running. However, beneath her calm demeanour, Jane has a disquiet within her. Will her stay at the Inn turn the heat down, or bring her to boiling point?
Meadow Report is an all-female theatre company founded in Liverpool, making their London debut with The Boline Inn
SAPPHIRES December 15th - 17th at 7pm
5 playwrights, 2 Actors and 1 Relationship.
Caromoon Productions presents a fresh, fast-paced evening of new writing theatre where one relationship is explored through five unique voices. Across six short plays, Alex and Julia’s romance takes shape—funny, raw, messy, and heartfelt.
Can five playwrights tell one love story that truly connects? And more importantly—can Alex and Julia’s relationship survive it?
Bold, inventive, and full of heart, this is a celebration of love, perspective, and storytelling. One relationship. Five writers. Endless interpretations.
Previous praise for Caromoon Productions:
“Combining the perfect mix of humour, realism and emotion into a storyline that engages right from the outset”
RatedReviewed
“It was both hilarious and heart-wrenching, with well-developed characters”
She Reviews Theatre LDN
“The concept is likeable, the performances are impressive and the script is strong”
London Pub Theatres
The Dream Machine (Monthly Sunday/Monday)
Making your dreams come true…
Welcome to The Dream Machine – Make It Beautiful’s unique, long-form improvisation show, based around audience members’ dreams. This isn’t just a show, it’s an experience of the mind. The Dreamers will build a world full of crazy characters, odd challenges, and heart-warming stories. From one audience member’s dream, comes an entire production.
This hit improv show has had successful runs at many UK theatres, including: the White Bear, the Space, Trestle Arts Base, the Cockpit, the Garage Norwich, the Maltings Theatre St Albans, the OSO Arts Centre and the Golden Goose.
“The Hope are proud to have Make It Beautiful as one of our new associate companies and we can’t wait to see what they get up to each month!” – Laurel & Toby, joint Artistic Directors at The Hope
