Omnibus Theatre Clapham in London is championing new writing in its upcoming summer season, which features five productions and a festival celebrating queerness.
It starts off with a revival of Peter Gill’s 1976 play Small Change, directed by George Richmond-Scott who brought Blood Wedding to Omnibus Theatre in 2018. Running from 21 April to 9 May, it charts the friendship between two boys and their relationships with their mothers.
After this, the programme – put together under artistic director Marie McCarthy – champions a variety of new writing. From 19 to 21 May, the theatre will stage Angry Yellow Woman (pictured), written and performed by theatre-maker, improviser and actor Vera Chok who co-wrote the acclaimed book The Good Immigrant. In this new autobiographical work, she figures out if she is a “racist” or if the world is too black and white.
Next is the debut play, with music, from actor Ric Renton, called Nothing In a Butterfly, running from 23 to 28 June. Directed by Chris White and supported by the Synergy Theatre Project, it is described as “a visceral odyssey from flying fists in Tyneside to hard sales in Dubai via elephant rides and the elusive search for the perfect pocket squares”.
Adam Foster’s new piece Wood, which was a hit at Vault Festival a year ago, has been developed into a full production under director Grace Duggan. It is a sharp, witty and observational play that explores porn and patriarchy. It will run from 30 June to 18 July. Read our review of Wood.
Omnibus Theatre will also stage a live episode for the serialised podcast drama broadcast Dem Times. Created and written by Jacob Roberts-Mensah and Rhys Reed-Johnson, Dem Times is a comedy-drama that follows the re-education of British-born troublemaker Samuel Adjei who finds himself on a plane back to Ghana. This episode will be performed live on 10 July.
From 9 to 27 June, Omnibus Theatre’s celebration of queerness, called 96 Festival, will return, finding a new regular calendar date after previously taking place in February last year. It offers three weeks of performances, cabaret, drag and theatre featuring Cocoa Butter Club’s MisSa Blue, Katie Bonna and Monica Gaga. It will be anchored by takeovers from Beth Watson, LGBTQArts’ Amie Taylor and The Family Jewels. The festival’s name celebrates when the Pride party was held on Clapham Common in 1996.
In July, the theatre will also host previews for Edinburgh Fringe 2020 and, in August, the Out of the Wings Festival will return for a week of play readings from the Spanish and Portuguese-speaking world.
Tickets for the new season are on sale now.
BOOK TICKETS FOR OMNIBUS THEATRE CLAPHAM
Mark Ludmon has been a journalist for over 20 years, specialising in writing about theatre and the arts as well as bars, pubs and drink. He has been on the theatre judging panel for London’s Olivier Awards and has a masters degree in English literature, specialising in Elizabethan and Jacobean drama. He has an MA in theatre research, criticism and dramaturgy from the University of London’s Royal Central School of Speech & Drama. You can find him tweeting about theatre as @MarkLudmon and writing about theatre at markludmon.com.
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