Artful Entertainment presents the premiere of
Sarah Shelton’s darkly funny and powerful family drama
Blessings
at Riverside Studios from 30 September to 26 October 2025
Following its acclaimed debut as a shortened piece at last year’s Riverside Bitesize Festival, Sarah Shelton’s Blessings – an emotionally charged exploration of family dysfunction – returns to Riverside Studios for the premiere run of the full play from 30 September to 26 October 2025.
Bold, brilliant and blisteringly honest, Blessings is a must-see new work exploring faith, family, control and the lies we tell to keep everything from falling apart.
Behind the polished front door of the Deacon household, tradition is crumbling, secrets are festering, and change is coming – whether they like it or not. In a small English town in the 1960s, formidable matriarch Dorie Deacon is determined to keep her Catholic family respectable while Frank, her husband, maintains a silence that suggests he sees more than he’s ever let on. But as her children return home to celebrate their traditional family Easter, their carefully constructed image begins to crack. From smug eldest son Martin to razor-sharp Penny, rebellious Frances to watchful youngest daughter Sally, the Deacons are anything but united. And with a new boyfriend on the scene, a family priest who knows more than he’s saying, and plenty of unspoken truths lying under the surface, the household is a pressure cooker ready to blow. As secrets inch toward the surface and confessions are avoided, tension mounts toward a devastating and unforgettable climax. Is truth always the best policy? And what would you do for love?
Writer and director Sarah Shelton said: “At its core, Blessings explores the messy, beautiful, and sometimes painful dynamics of family – something deeply personal and universally understood. I’m thrilled to be bringing it back to Riverside Studios after the incredibly warm reception to that first showing at Bitesize which marked the beginning of the play’s journey. Riverside audiences really embraced Blessings in its shortened version, so it’s a total joy to return to the venue where it all began. Our cast will include outstanding seasoned performers who will be sharing the spotlight with gifted newcomers who are just beginning their careers. With a top-class creative team too, we’re poised to share this timeless story with a wider audience and I can’t wait to do so.”
Blessings is presented by Artful Entertainment. Cast and creatives are to be announced shortly.
Tickets are now on sale: https://riversidestudios.co.uk/see-and-do/blessings-177622/.
-LISTINGS-
Show: Blessings
Venue: Riverside Studios (Studio 3), 101 Queen Caroline Street, Hammersmith, London, W6 9BN.
Dates: 30 September – 26 October 2025; Evenings: Tuesday – Saturday at 7.45pm; Matinees, Wednesday, Saturday & Sunday at 2.45pm
Previews: 30 September and 1 October
Running Time: 90 minutes approx (no interval)
Box Office: https://riversidestudios.co.uk/see-and-do/blessings-177622/; phone bookings 020 8237 1010
Age Guidance: 16+
Content Warnings: none
Access information: the venue is fully wheelchair-accessible on all levels.
Category: theatre / drama