theatre club
Do you enjoy talking about theatre, but find most post-show discussions annoying?
Do you often see theatre alone, and wish you had someone to talk with about what you see?
Do you like watching theatre, but sometimes feel like you don’t understand it?
Come to Theatre Club!
What is it?
It’s a very informal – no membership required – conversation space similar to book groups: people see a show, then gather to chat about it. No specialist knowledge is needed, and snacks are provided, making it an extra-friendly occasion.
Who is invited?
Anyone who saw the show! But not the people who made it, which makes Theatre Club very different to the usual post-show Q&A. At Theatre Club, audiences share their questions and responses with each other. Confused? Bored? Delighted? It’s all welcome!
How does it work?
Sometimes Theatre Club happens immediately post-show, and sometimes people see the show on different days and return to the theatre or meet online for the conversation. I host it and always have a few questions I’m interested in, to move us along if needed – but the best Theatre Clubs are genuine conversations, a shared dialogue not led by me.
Why do people come?
Why don’t I hand you over to some of the people who come for this bit? They say:
“There's something about the range of people, opinions and reasons for attendance that is beautiful, theatre club brings me into contact with people and opinions that differ and I value that.”
“I like the friendliness and the format and the chance to share my love of theatre with like-minded people.”
“We could talk so freely and I got so many different takes/opinions and I felt safe to disagree, it was chewing it over with people I didn't know that was so great – new opinions!”
💙💛💙
Where does it happen?
I have an ongoing relationship with Cambridge Junction, who have supported Theatre Club since 2023, enabling some extraordinary conversations, from a group of teenagers responding to a show featuring people aged 60+ to a multi-ethnic group dissecting an evening inspired by Sardinian carnival. It’s a wonderful community so if you’re in the area, do join us!
I also host Theatre Clubs ad-hoc around London (with an often remarkable lack of support from theatres themselves). Because not everyone lives in the bottom of the country, there are always a couple of Theatre Clubs each season watching digital work and then chatting online as well.
For more information, including additional theatre recommendations, please join the mailing list (which is literally a list of people I write to via gmail, rather than sending out a broadcast from mailchimp).
For more information, including additional theatre recommendations, you could always join the mailing list (which is literally a list of people I send emails to, rather than a database like mailchimp).
When are the next dates?
Below are all the upcoming dates I have in mind. If you like the sound of Theatre Club and would like me to host one in your area, please get in touch!
At Cambridge Junction
Helpful notes: all Theatre Clubs at Cambridge Junction happen directly after the show and are pay what you feel (unless I’ve indicated otherwise).
7.30pm, Wednesday 19 February: Rooh, by Pagrav Dance Company
Contemporary kathak, live music and stories of female bravery: as a set of ingredients this very much says delicious to me. Choreographed and performed by Urja Desai Thakore, the show weaves material from folk tales, autobiography and eco-activism. Booking details: https://www.junction.co.uk/events/rooh-within-her/ please note this show has a fixed ticket price.
7.30pm, Wednesday 12 March: Nine Sixteenths, by Paula Varjack
For those who (whisper it: like me) have never been much of a Janet Jackson fan, please don’t let that put you off this show about the Superbowl performance in 2004 that derailed the singer’s career. I saw an early-ish work-in-progress and came out electrified by the deep dive Paula and her fellow performers take into the cultural context of that moment, and its repercussions – not just for Jackson, but for all of us. Booking details: https://www.junction.co.uk/events/nine-sixteenths/
7.30pm, Wednesday 7 May: Passion Fruit
Tantalisingly, the social media promotion for this story of a queer black teenager asks: “Who’s ready for the Beyonce elevation?” Ummm, me? Performed by Dior Clarke, who also co-wrote, and directed by Rikki Beadle-Blair, this promises tenderness and joy in equal measure. Booking details: https://www.junction.co.uk/events/passion-fruit/
7.30pm, Wednesday 21 May: The Dirty Work, by Jo Bannon
I’ve been a fan of Jo Bannon for a solid decade now, and honestly think that the suite of work she’s been making of late exploring magic/sleight of hand and its relationship with sight and visual impairment is her best so far: thoughtful, surprising and full of delight. This new piece is performed by Jo herself, and calls attention to the unseen labour embedded in everyday life. Booking details: https://www.junction.co.uk/events/the-dirty-work/
In London
Warning! I didn’t have time before the winter break to organise any of these dates with the theatres themselves. I’m aiming to have them all confirmed by the middle of January – for now, let’s hope all these options work out ok!
Helpful notes: all London Theatre Clubs take place on the listed date: you can either book to see the show on that day and join the discussion immediately afterwards, or else watch the play at an earlier performance and come back on the listed date in time for the discussion post-show.
7.30pm, Wednesday 5 February: A Good House at the Royal Court
Since the start of Covid-19 (almost five years ago now, urghhh) I’ve been involved in local community mutual aid and intrigued by the politics of how neighbours get along with each other. So this play by Amy Jephta, about a campaign to demolish a shack that crops up in an otherwise genteel neighbourhood, is very appealing. It’s in the main house so various prices to tickets, booking details here: https://royalcourttheatre.com/whats-on/a-good-house/
7.30pm, Thursday 6 March: Argos Archives at Omnibus Theatre
The Argos catalogue was a major fixture in my childhood, so the idea of a play in which it’s a key character is highly appealing. Even better, it’s made by Sabrina Mahfouz, a brilliant poet and playwright who created the sizzling semi-autobiographical show A History of Water in the Middle East at the Royal Court a few years ago. Here she collaborates with neurodivergent women to centre and celebrate autistic experience. Booking details: https://www.omnibus-clapham.org/argos-archives/
7.30pm, Wednesday 23 April: Rhinoceros at the Almeida
Director Omar Elerian is becoming a bit of an Ionesco specialist: his production of The Chairs in 2022, also at the Almeida, was electric, fierce and funny and immediate, so it’s a delight to see him now turn to Rhinoceros. Be warned: Almeida shows a) sell out very quickly and b) are eye-wateringly expensive, so do book early, especially if you want one of those blissfully cheap restricted view seats that are not so restricted after all. Booking details: https://almeida.co.uk/whats-on/rhinoceros/
7.30pm, Thursday 15 May: Speed at the Bush
Only one person came to the Theatre Club for Mohamed-Zain Dada’s play Blue Mist in 2023, but the work was so full of character and provocation and politics and ideas that the two of us chatted for over an hour. In this new play by Dada, a speed awareness course becomes a session in group therapy: it’s a brilliant premise, especially in these days of violating speed restrictions at a mere 22mph, so I have high hopes of more great chats – and maybe even a few more people at Theatre Club! Remember that shows in the main house at the Bush have a number of £15 “count me in” tickets. Booking details: https://www.bushtheatre.co.uk/event/speed/
Online
Helpful notes: these online chats happen on zoom and they really are like book groups – you need to watch the show BEFORE joining the zoom call! If the price would make it hard for you to watch the show, email me and we can see if we can figure something out together…
8pm, Sunday 23 March: The Hot Wing King
If, like me, you missed The Hot Wing King when it played at the National Theatre during the summer of 2024, take solace in the fact that you can now catch it online – and eat chicken wings (or any other snack that takes your fancy) while you watch. I love cooking shows, love watching people banter in the kitchen, love when people invent new dishes, so my mouth is watering just thinking about this one. The Hot Wing King costs £7.99 to rent from NtatHome via this link https://www.ntathome.com/products/the-hot-wing-king, please watch it BEFORE Sunday 23 March then join a chat on zoom on Sunday 23 March at 8pm GMT – please email me for zoom details. And remember: this is the time of year when hours go forward, but that won’t have happened in the UK yet, so please double check your time difference if you’re joining from elsewhere!
8pm, Sunday 25 May: Ben and Imo at the Orange Tree
A new play by Mark Ravenhill! Directed by Erica Whyman! About Benjamin Britten and the costs of making art! I’m really delighted that the Orange Tree are making this available online so that people outside London can join Theatre Club too. Either watch the show in person at the Orange Tree, and day from 19 April until 17 May (booking via this link https://orangetreetheatre.co.uk/whats-on/ben-and-imo/), or else watch it any time between 20 and 23 May online (booking via this link https://orangetreetheatre.co.uk/whats-on/ben-and-imo-ot-on-screen/), then join a chat on zoom on Sunday 25 May at 8pm – please email me for zoom details.