DOUBLE ACT Comes to Southwark Playhouse Borough Next Year

Double Act is coming to Southwark Playhouse Borough next year. Performances will run 19 March – 5 April.

Exploring men's mental health and the power of listening, two actors play the two competing sides of a man's personality, doing battle in his unraveling mind as he journeys to the place that he plans to kill himself. When a man takes the day off work and travels to the West Sussex coast with the intention of ending his life, he shifts back and forth between interactions with his boss, mum, ex-girlfriend and various strangers, and his inner conflict between his warring thoughts as he grapples with his crushing disappointment at how his life has turned out. Inspired by sad clowns such Pierrot and classic comedy double acts like Laurel and Hardy, the two competing sides of the protagonist's personality argue back and forth, with one desperate to reach the final destination, and the other finding reasons to delay what is looming. Mixing clowning with physical comedy, dark humour and a classic two handed-play, Double Act explores destructive self-talk and the redemptive power of listening amongst men today.

The play began as a short monologue for writer Nick Hyde's drama school project that he later turned into a two-hander to better explore the character's mindset, which he developed after research with charities Body and Soul, Trinity Homeless Projects and Mind who are now partners of the show. Double Act debuted to critical acclaim at the Lion & Unicorn in January this year, won an OffCom Award, and was nominated for a Standing Ovation award.

Nick Hyde said, “DOUBLE ACT first started as my independent project at drama school. The task was to create a thirty-minute solo piece that probed a specific question. I was drawn to explore suicide and why it remains the leading cause of death for men under fifty – was there something intrinsic in masculine performance that contributed to this grim statistic? I explored medical literature and treatises on masculinity and, using clowning and Victorian variety acts, created a rather abstract physical piece. When I left drama school, I knew that to have the impact I wanted – to bring conversation to a silent epidemic and contribute to a vocabulary men can use to discuss how they are – I needed to start over. After a long period of development, DOUBLE ACT emerged as a comic two-hander that vocalises the inner monologue on a man's final day; the day he has made plans to end his life. Before previewing at the Lion & Unicorn, we went through a period of research and development, collaborating with psychiatric professionals and our charity partners Body & Soul and Trinity Homeless Projects to ensure we made a sensitive piece that does such an important subject matter justice. Coming out of the theatre after the show, it was thrilling to overhear people engaged in discussions about the play, about the character, about his journey. It is a play about mental health, sure, but it's hopeful and I hope it can bring some laughter to those who need it.”

Nick Hyde is an actor and writer who trained at Mountview and Guildhall. He recently wrapped on an NDA project for a major streaming service. Before drama school, Nick was training to be a doctor, going through four years of medical school. And before that, he was a child actor, working with Patrick Stewart, Rupert Goold, and the illustrious Basil Brush. As a writer, this is his first full-length play.

Oliver Maynard is an actor from London. He studied at the University of Manchester before graduating from the MFA Professional Acting course at LAMDA in 2020. His recent credits include the Reboot Festival at the Barons Court Theatre, Henry V and Twelfth Night for the Cambridge Shakespeare Festival, Severn Stories at the White Bear Theatre, and a major upcoming series for Apple TV+.

Jef Hall-Flavin is an award-winning Director with 25 years of experience making work all over the world. He has received praise from the Washington Post, Boston Globe and the New Zealand Herald. He was the Associate Director of the Shakespeare Theatre Company in Washington, DC, and he ran the Provincetown Tennessee Williams Theatre Festival for 13 years before relocating to London.

Robbie Nestor is a Producer and Dramaturg who has developed a range of award-winning productions. He has worked on a variety of projects over the last five years, from small scale subsidised productions to large scale commercial plays on the West-End. He is a published dramaturg and recently ran the Readers' Room scheme with The King's Head Theatre.

Southwark Playhouse is a registered charity that delivers a year-round programme of entertaining and enriching work. Southwark Playhouse operates two separate venues, ‘Southwark Playhouse Borough' and its newest theatre ‘Southwark Playhouse Elephant' which opened in January 2023. Southwark Playhouse has always prided itself in telling stories and inspiring the next generation of storytellers and theatre makers, where support for the community has been rooted at the core of the organisation.

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