WHAT'S ON at THE HOPE THEATRE
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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
SIDE QUEST
£10/£12
7:45PM
4th May, 29th June & 3rd August
A hilarious fantasy tale where you choose the adventure!
Come merry folk from yonder to craft an original tale with aid from your 'Story Master' and a sprinkle of imagination. Fill in a character sheet, then watch your creations spring to life as they embark on an epic quest… or go way off track. Will they fight a dragon? Save a village of pixies? Or get stuck in a dungeon and eat their shoes? Anything can happen! Your characters, your locations, their fate is in your hands. Come and roll the dice. A fantasy fun filled show for all.
The Dirty 20 are a theatrical comedy group based in Sheffield. A band of improvisers, comedians, musicians and actors. They have been performing together in various shows for over 5 years.
Their latest and most successful show is Side Quest. It is the brainchild of Terri Silver. A comedian and writer who plays the role of the story master. A narrator and helpful guide for the audience, who is a hilarious character themselves. The unscripted show immediately became popular in Sheffield and they soon began performing sell out shows across Yorkshire. A combination of fantasy, tabletop roleplay games and an improvised narrative comedy show.
Before the show, audiences fill out character sheets which the performers then embody. These costumed, larger than life characters then go on a unique journey. The audience gets to control the direction of the story in the style of a 'choose your own adventure'. We have a giant dice for people to roll to determine the outcome of the protagonist's decisions and the very fate of the story. Side Quest has struck a chord with people as they indulge in this whimsical journey of silliness. They are now touring around the UK and have played gaming conventions and festivals.
Side Quest brings in people of all backgrounds and the introverted out of their caves. If you love RPG’s and fantasy then this will not disappoint, but the silliness of Side Quest is infectious to everyone.
THE PROJECT 30 April - 3 May
Katie sees flowers where others see weeds.
In the corner of a seedy dive bar or a sweaty basement gig, she falls in love with a man’s potential. When her romantic life unmistakably unfolds into a pattern of one disastrous project after another, it’s time to get clean.
Reluctantly embarking on a wellness retreat, Katie finds herself alone—single, for the first time in... forever.
'The Project' is a different kind of love story, posing the question: what truths do we conceal, even from ourselves?
Following a sold-out debut run at Jack Studio Theatre, 'The Project' returns with new life at The Hope Theatre.
"It is a heartfelt performance beautifully delivered [...] One can only hope this beautifully staged piece is seen elsewhere" - REVIEWSGATE
FUFC 20TH - 24TH May
“The whole cancer thing is shit. People never say that to you, you want them to but they don’t”.
A muddy football pitch under a hungover council sky somewhere in the North of England; two old friends meet to play the national sport and talk . A bad day in goal is one thing a bad result from the cancer specialist is another. A story told all too often of cancer and it’s often tragic consequences. Darkly comedic and poignant this heartwarming moment of genuine connection unfolds; leading to a touching reminder that even in our darkest hours the bonds of friendship and the resilience of the human spirit bring hope.
FUFC speaks to the challenges that unite us all.
Proudly supported by Macmillan Cancer Support.
GRAVE MISTAKE 27th May - 7th June
“Rule Number One: Funerals are spiritual, we are not.”
Burke & Sons Family Funerals are in crisis!
This funeral directorship has been established for over a hundred and fifty years, being safely handed down through the generations - Right up to the point Regina got hold of it!
Her latest in a long line of life ambitions is to open Jolly Gina’s Gin Bar & Spa, in the intimate yet spacious area of the building between the second floor and the roof, which the unimaginative might call… the loft.
Harriet, Regina’s sister and business partner, is left with a seemingly impossible task - save the business from bankruptcy!
The solution?
Do more funerals, obviously!
Matthew Ballantyne & Toby Hampton reunite to write this fast-paced & witty new comedy after their 5-star, award-nominated run of ‘21 Round For Christmas’ at Park Theatre in 2023.
Produced by the award-winning in-house team at The Hope Theatre, Grave Mistake is sure to be a hilarious, chaotic treat!
COURTNEY'S + 1 May 5th & June 30th
Courtney’s +1 – because comedy is better with company (and because Courtney cannot stand to be alone with her thoughts).
Award-winning comedian Courtney (BBC Creator Lab, 30M+ views online, 4-star sold-out EdFringe debut, Best of Comedy winner @ Fuse Festival) is back with a brand-new show. But this time, she’s not coming alone.
Each show, Courtney invites an incredibly talented comedy star to the stage, giving them 30 minutes to test out their freshest, funniest material. Meanwhile, Courtney will be doing the same as she’s on a mission to generate 24 brand-new stories for her next absurd instalment of: I Wrote This Show Last Night.
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.
After a sold-out April show, Courtney is THRILLED to welcome Rachel Galvo for May & June!
Rachel Galvo is an Irish comedian living in London. Galvo studied Musical Theatre at Mountview, graduating in 2023. During this time she wrote her thesis on Women and feminism in comedy and decided to give it a go herself. She has since been on tour across the UK and Ireland with her show- The Shite Feminist. She will be returning to the Edinburgh Fringe this year after a sold out success in 2024.
ACNE ROMEO 9th - 11th June £12/£14
7:45PM
“How easy these boundaries of you and me are to cross. How close my body is to yours.”
When a vigil throws R and J together the day before Valentine’s, they try to construct a home for themselves. Over three unlikely days, they prod, and spill, and break, and lie; doing and undoing sex, talking themselves into oblivion. But violent delights have violent ends, and homes are always full of teeth.
In a darkly intimate world of stasis and revolt, how much care do you need to put into loving someone? And how much carelessness does it take to be free?
ACNE ROMEO is the bold and intrguing new play from Sam Smith, award-winning writer-director of Scenes with boys.
Praise for previous work:
(for Scenes with boys)
“An extraordinary commentary on art, love and life.” ★★★★ Adventures in Theatreland
★★★★ A Young(ish) Perspective
★★★★ LondonTheatre1
BANNED 12th - 14th June £12/£14 7:45PM
"They will find out. They always do. They track things. They will know this. Somehow. So now, the clock is ticking”
Jess turns up on her estranged best friend Leonie's doorstep, a friend she hasn't seen in three years, alone, homeless, pregnant - and desperate not to be. In a world with no legal options, Leonie is tested: how far will she go to help her friend?
As soon as she acts, the clock is ticking. But there are more secrets just under the surface, secrets which will turn everything Leonie believes upside down.
Banned is a play about love, friendship, trust and freedom of choice.
SWAN IN THE WALLS 16th - 18th June £12/£14 7:45PM
“I love her. I love her. But I hate me more.”
Caoimhe has fled home, family, country and a confusing relationship with a childhood friend for drama school in London. But after a night out goes wrong, she realises that there is no escape. But the walls are thin and the past has claws. A swan haunts her walls, demanding the truth and challenging her to stop pretending.
Taking inspiration from Irish mythology, Swan in the Walls, from emerging playwright, Mary Condon O’Connor is a queer, messy, coming-of-age story that asks can you ring the bell and finally come back home to yourself after being away for so long?
ROGUELIKE 19th - 21st June £12/£14 7:45PM
“Is it harder to lose him forever, or lose him a little bit, over and over again?”
In the mystical city of Uhdanagrad there stands a tower that warriors climb, over and over again, constantly seeking the treasure at its top. At the edge of the city sits a gay bar, where one such swordsman keeps coming every time he wipes out. As much as the barkeep rolls his eyes at the bruised paladin at his bar, something keeps drawing them together. Is it the tower? Ancient, eldritch gods? Or something much sadder than that?
Roguelike is a queer love story set in an RPG - Casablanca meets Hades. It's a story about memory, about devotion, and about how much water dungeons suck. Join us for our latest run up the tower. Who knows, maybe this time they win.
Praise for David's writing:
“One of the strongest writing voices I’ve witnessed in a while.” - Theatricellie
“You could feel the love, shared community, and utter joy that was being spread." - Broadway World
“Absolutely incredible” - @urfavgayslay
LAP DOG 23rd - 25th June £12/£14
7:45PM
“You may be his boy but you’ll never be his dog”
Dating a man 30 years older than you is great because he doesn’t want to be texted every second of every day. And he loves your body. Really loves it. He can’t believe it, can’t believe how young it is. He has salami in his fridge and cheese and expensive toothpaste and really nice pans and everything works and he has massive mirrors and they’re always spotless. It’s heaven.
Looking after a chihuahua is shit because they’re stuck-up little runts.
Baby lands the gig of a lifetime when their sugar daddy asks them to live in his Paddington Penthouse whilst he’s away on business. But Baby’s week of luxury is ruined when they find out that this involves looking after Daddy’s territorial chihuahua, Fellatio.
Lap Dog is Joe Harrington’s debut play, an untameable romp into age-gap love, activism, and the generational sanitisation of queer rage, all told through the lens of dogs.
05:59
26th - 28th June
7:45PM
£12/£14
‘You’re a stupid, stupid son-of-a-bitch and I felt like I didn’t want you to be alone right now.’
New York, 2008. The long shadow of the AIDS crisis has begun to slowly recede.
Benny and Jon meet in the back room of a gay club on the Lower East Side. The next twenty minutes, for better or worse, will change both of their lives. This is where it all starts…
Inspired by the true stories of queer men born in the aftermath of the AIDS epidemic, 05:59 asks what it means to be defined by the scars of your forefathers, and how a generation of men taught to fear themselves might start anew.
There’s an untold story of a generation of folk who grew up in the post-Tony Kushner era. One where they no longer have to fear the spiritual inevitability of either dying of AIDS, or dying alone. One where misinformation, fear and prejudice is often, nowadays, more dangerous than the virus itself.
‘A beautiful play’ - Arthur Lubow (The New Yorker, The New York Times)
