Park Theatre announce new shows for Summer and Autumn
- Holy Fool, the world premiere of a new play examining art created under tyranny and the life of Dmitri Shostakovich
- Thom Southerland adapts and directs a stage adaptation of the Oscar-winning film, The Pianist
- Original Theatre return to Park200 with The Importance of Being Oscar
- The Talking Drum: Voices of the Andover Estate is a powerful new verbatim play foregrounding the voices of a local community fighting to be heard
- Deafinitely Theatre create a British Sign Language adaptation of Mike Bartlett’s extraordinary play Bull
www.parktheatre.co.uk
Five new productions have been announced as part of Park Theatre’s Summer and Autumn seasons, including theworld premiere of Holy Fool, examining the life and works of composer Dmitri Shostakovich under the brutal Soviet regime.Following this,The Pianist adapted by Thom Southerlandfrom Wladyslaw Szpilman’s internationally bestselling memoir, and the inspiration behind the Academy Award-winning film. Paula Garfield MBE will be directing Deafinitely Theatre’s adaptation of Mike Bartlett’s Bull, and Original Theatre return to the venue with their revival of Micheál MacLiammóir’s The Importance of Being Oscar. Finally, ParkTheatre collaborates with London Metropolitan University and the local community in a new verbatim play confronting the media’s vilification in 2007 of Islington’s renowned estate in The Talking Drum: Voices of the Andover Estate.
Park Theatre kicks off the summer with the fourth iteration of their hugely popular celebrity-led murder mystery fundraiser Whodunnit [Unrehearsed] (11 May – 28 June),this time locating the action in the Wild West. Following this, Original Theatre return with The Importance of Being Oscar (22 July – 22 Aug), a revival of Micheál MacLiammóir’s play directed by Michael Fentiman and starring Alastair Whatley. Original Theatre have previously enjoyed runs of The Interview, The End of The Night, and most recently the Olivier Award-nominated The Time Machine – A Comedy at Park Theatre.
The first of two productions about musicians creating art under dictatorships, Holy Fool (27 Aug – 10 Oct) follows celebrated composer Dmitri Shostakovich at the height of Stalin’s brutal regime, where he finds himself struggling to accept that his music must be a tool of the state. Under constant threat of torture and death, he’s forced to publicly conform while privately resisting. Holy Fool is an exploration of the absurdity of tyranny, the bravery of resistance and the triumph of the human spirit.
Next, Thom Southerland (Parade, Titanic) directs his new adaptation of The Pianist (15 Oct– 28 Nov)based on Wladyslaw Szpilman’s extraordinary bestselling memoir, the inspiration behind the Academy Award-winning film. Original compositions from the so-called ‘Polish Gershwin’ score his story: popular songs and compositions that made him a star. A cast of virtuoso actor-musicians conjures the golden age of Jewish Warsaw in all its warmth and wit: the packed concert halls, the candlelit cafés, the irrepressible spirit of a city that loved music above all else. At its heart, this is a love letter to culture, to the artists and dreamers who carried it, and to the extraordinary power of creativity to outlast even the most turbulent chapters of history.
Over in Park90, the local community will be given a voice onstage in The Talking Drum: Voices of the Andover Estate (19 – 29 Aug), a powerful new verbatim play created from interviews conducted by London Metropolitan University researchers. A portrait of a vast and diverse neighbourhood, interwoven stories charting more than 50 years of history, and confronting MP Ann Widdecombe’s highly-publicised vilification of Islington’s renowned estate in 2007. They explode assumptions about class and identity and ask: what does community mean to residents now?
Finally, from Deafinitely Theatre and directed by Paula Garfield MBE, Bull (30 Sept – 24 Oct) by Mike Bartlett is adapted with fully integrated BSL and creative captioning, and is the company’s second production of his work following Contractions in 2017. Four colleagues sit in a meeting room. Jobs are on the line. The rules are unspoken, but everyone knows them. Bull is a strained and unsettling examination of workplace bullying, power and survival. As pressure builds, alliances shift and cruelty surfaces, exposing a system where fear thrives and empathy disappears.
Artistic Director Jez Bond said, “We’re incredibly proud to be announcing a season that feels expansive and deeply rooted in who we are. Bold new work like Holy Fool, a world premiere production in association with Wild Yak, represents our continued commitment to developing and producing exciting new work in-house. Whilst a powerful new adaptation of The Pianist and the wit and charm of The Importance of Being Oscar contribute to a summer programme that celebrates storytelling in all its forms.
“In Park90, The Talking Drum: Voices of the Andover Estate, remains central to the identity of our local area. Borne out of four years of conversations between London Metropolitan University researchers and the estate’s residents, it enables Park Theatre to fully reflect the voices of the community around us and ask the big questions. Finally, we are thrilled to be welcoming Mike Bartlett’s Bull, in partnership with Birmingham Rep Theatre and Deafinitely Theatre, and continuing to champion creative collaboration and genuine inclusivity, bringing together artists and audiences in meaningful and exciting ways.”
Park Theatre presents exceptional theatre in the heart of Finsbury Park. Boasting two world-class performance spaces: Park200 for predominantly larger scale productions by established talent, and Park90, a flexible studio space, for emerging artists. In 12 years, it has enjoyed 10 West End transfers (including Rose starring Maureen Lipman, The Boys in the Band starring Mark Gatiss, Pressure starring David Haig and The Life I Lead starring Miles Jupp), two National Theatre transfers, an RSC transfer and 14 national tours. Park Theatre has also been the recipient of seven Olivier Award nominations, won multiple OffWestEnd Offie Awards, and a Theatre of the Year award from The Stage, as well as their inaugural Campaign of the Year award in 2025 for their work reaching underserved audiences with Canadian/Korean comedy drama Kim’s Convenience. Park Theatre co-commissioned and co-produced the world premiere of The Meat Kings! (inc.) of Brooklyn Heights which won the 2026 Susan Smith Blackburn Award.
Listings information
Park Theatre, Clifton Terrace, Finsbury Park, London N4 3JP
www.parktheatre.co.uk | 020 7870 6876*
* Telephone booking fee of £3 per transaction applies. All ticket prices are inclusive of a £1.50 building levy.
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Park200 22 Jul – 22 Aug
The Importance of Being Oscar | Presented by Original Theatre & Reading Rep Theatre in association with Park Theatre
By Micheál MacLiammóir, directed by Michael Fentiman
Cast: Alastair Whatley
Oscar Wilde was a dandy of speech, a dandy of manner, a dandy of dress, and a dandy, even, of ideas and intellect. He fell in love with eccentric socialites, travelled to America with nothing to declare except his genius, and found worldwide success as a playwright. This is the story of how his life of fame, glamour, and romance led him to become an imprisoned outcast.
The Importance of Being Oscar immerses audiences in a compelling journey through the loves and losses, successes and struggles of the man. It is a beautiful tribute to an icon of the world of theatre, liberally laced with Wilde’s signature wit and wisdom and featuring excerpts of many of his best-loved works including An Ideal Husband, The Picture of Dorian Gray, The Importance of Being Earnest and The Ballad of Reading Gaol.
Running time: 1hr 50 mins (inc interval)
Access performance tbc
Mon – Sat 7.30pm, matinees Thu and Sat 3pm I From £22.50 (standard), From £20 (65+ Mon eve and Thu mat, bands B, C and D only), £18.50 (access), £10 (Park Under 30, Band C & D) I Previews from £15
Park90 19 – 29 Aug
The Talking Drum: Voices of the Andover Estate | Presented by Park Theatre, London Metropolitan University and the Andover Estate Community Centre
World Premiere
‘As soon as people hear our postcode, we get labelled. That is the hardest thing living on the estate – that label.’
A powerful new verbatim play foregrounding the voices of a community fighting to be heard.
A retired ballerina finds herself suddenly homeless. At university, a youth worker struggles against stereotypes. Resident ‘007’ can’t get the council to listen to them, and NJ dreams of being allowed to play the African Drums.
Putting the voices from Islington’s Andover Estate centre stage, The Talking Drum is a captivating portrait of a vast and diverse neighbourhood.
A blend of theatre, grassroots storytelling and digital media, the interwoven stories spanning more than 50 years offer an urgent and deeply personal counter-narrative to decades of negative media portrayal. The production explodes assumptions about class and identity to ask: what does community mean to residents now?
Created from three years of interviews conducted by a project team led by Professor John Gabriel with Dr Alya Khan and Gulser Rose Kaya (London Metropolitan University), adapted by writer-director Tony Graham.
Mon – Sat 7pm, 3.15pm matinees Thu & Sat | From £18 (standard), £9.50 (access), £10 (Park Under 30)
Park200 27 Aug – 10 Oct
Holy Fool | Presented by Park Theatre and Wild Yak
World Premiere
By Rosalind Adler and Lea Sellers, directed by Kate Fahy
His music made him. It could destroy him.
At the height of Stalin’s brutal regime, celebrated composer Dmitri Shostakovich finds himself struggling to accept that his music must be a tool of the state. Under constant threat of torture and death, he’s forced to publicly conform while privately resisting. He walks a perilous line between obedience and defiance—creating work that must comply while all the while subtly resisting.
Holy Fool is a tense, darkly witty exploration of the absurdity of tyranny, the bravery of resistance and the triumph of the human spirit.
Relaxed performance 7 September 7.30pm, audio described 12 September 3pm, BSL 18September 7.30pm
Mon – Sat 7.30pm, matinees Thu and Sat 3pm I From £22.50 (standard), £18.50 (access), £10 (Park Under 30, Band C & D) I Previews £15
Park90 30 Sept – 24 Oct
Bull | Presented by Deafinitely Theatre and Birmingham Rep in association with Park Theatre
By Mike Bartlett, directed by Paula Garfield
Who gets to stay? Who is pushed out? And who decides?
Four colleagues sit in a meeting room. Jobs are on the line. The rules are unspoken, but everyone knows them.
Bull is a strained and unsettling examination of workplace bullying, power and survival. As pressure builds, alliances shift and cruelty surfaces, exposing a system where fear thrives and empathy disappears.
Sharp, darkly funny and deeply uncomfortable, Bull lays bare the human cost of a working culture shaped by competition, hierarchy and silence. How far will people go to protect themselves?
This is Deafinitely Theatre’s second adaptation of a play by Mike Bartlett, following the Off West End Award-winning, critically acclaimed and sold-out production of Contractions in 2017. Bull is presented in the company’s distinctive bilingual style, combining British Sign Language, spoken English and creative captions and is directed by Deafinitely’s award-winning Artistic Director Paula Garfield MBE.
All performances have integrated BSL and creative captioning
Mon – Sat 7.45pm, 3.15pm matinees Thu & Sat | From £18 (standard), £9.50 (access), £10 (Park Under 30) Preview From £15
Park200 15 Oct – 28 Nov
The Pianist | Presented by Wolk Transfer Company in association with Park Theatre.
World Premiere
Directed by Thom Southerland
Based on Wladyslaw Szpilman’s extraordinary internationally bestselling memoir, the inspiration behind the Academy Award-winning film, this landmark new production, adapted and directed by the acclaimed Thom Southerland (Titanic the Musical), brings one of the twentieth century’s most remarkable true stories to the stage featuring Szpilman’s own music for the very first time.
Original compositions from the so-called ‘Polish Gershwin’ score his story: popular songs that had Warsaw humming, compositions that made him a star, all given rich new life in orchestrations by Simon Lee, Andrew Lloyd-Webber’s long-time musical director. A cast of virtuoso actor-musicians conjures the golden age of Jewish Warsaw in all its warmth and wit: the packed concert halls, the candlelit cafés, the irrepressible spirit of a city that loved music above all else.
At its heart, this is a love letter to culture, to the artists and dreamers who carried it, and to the extraordinary power of creativity to outlast even the most turbulent chapters of history. Szpilman’s music doesn’t merely accompany this story; it breathes life into it, binding past to present and reminding us that some things, once made, can never truly be silenced.
Profound. Life-affirming. Unmissable.
Audio described 6 November 7.30pm
Mon – Sat 7.30pm, matinees Thu and Sat 3pm I From £22.50 (standard), From £20 (65+ Mon eve and Thu mat, bands B, C and D only), £18.50 (access), £10 (Park Under 30, Band C & D) I Previews from £15