SCREENS, AND THEN COME THE NIGHTJARS and More Set for Theatre503's Autumn 2016 Season

Building on the success of 2016's spring season, which garnered a total of eight Off West End Award nominations and included Stuart Slade's highly-acclaimed BU21, Theatre503's autumn season comprises of four works of outstanding new writing.

The autumn season covers topics from immigration to military occupation and includes a new play by Amy Schindler, best known as the writer of ITV's Pat and Cabbage. Plus, associate company Sleeping Trees will close the season with a festive delight!

Theatre503 is also delighted to announce that their production of Bea Roberts' And Then Come The Nightjars, which was staged at the venue in 2015's autumn season, will be embarking on a UK tour from September. Bea Roberts' much-lauded play was a winner of Theatre503's inaugural Playwriting Award and is directed by its former Artistic Director, Paul Robinson.

Producer and Head of Marketing, Jessica Campbell, comments: "There is something for everyone in the line-up at Theatre503 this Autumn: from an eye-opening story of Greek migrants, to the superb family drama Burning Bridges, to the chilling war tale The Acedian Pirates - which was in the final selection for our playwriting award. But if that all sounds to serious, we're thrilled to have Sleeping Trees back at 503 for their third Christmas panto - after two sell out productions I'm intrigued to see what they have up their sleeves with Scrooge and the Seven Dwarves... We're also delighted that Nightjars will be touring to ten different venues and visiting the Devon countryside that inspired the piece. It's lovely that the first winner of the 503 Playwriting award, which originally played in our 60 seat studio, will now be seen by thousands of people up and down the country."

The autumn season marks the commencement of Lisa Spirling's Artistic Directorship at Theatre503 in August - and the beginning of a fresh, exciting era for the new writing powerhouse. Lisa is currently the Artistic Coordinator of the JMK Trust's Regional Directors Program and was previously programming director at Theatre503. She will take up the post in August 2016.

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The diverse 2016 autumn season is as follows:

IN BLOOM and Theatre503 present

Screens (8th August - 3rd September)

Emine is more interested in a dead cat than her kids. Al is lost in Grindr, discovering that having a love life is incompatible with his incessant need to mollycoddle his ungrateful, acid-tongued sister. Ays?ea is a fierce and intelligent young woman who is drowning in the mire of social media. Screens, a new play by Stephen Laughton, focuses on a Turkish-Cypriot family barely treading water, clinging onto a sense of self and identity as it suddenly begins to unravel.

Sally Knyvette in association with Theatre503 presents

Burning Bridges (13th September - 8th October)

When Sarah, a young woman with Asperger's Syndrome, comes to visit her sister and brother-in- law, what starts as a fortnight of family holiday, spirals into a nightmare of accusation and intrigue. A love triangle with a dangerous twist, this moving and funny play explores the everyday dilemmas of a young woman living with autism; what to eat, what to watch on TV, and how counter the ever- rising tension building within the trio.

Tara Finney Productions and Theatre503 present

The Acedian Pirates (25th October - 19th November)

Jacob doesn't know why he's here. He's been at war for 6 years, but nobody will tell him why. The Moon is upstairs and he wants so desperately to talk to her, but they just won't let him. Will she be his salvation? The Acedian Pirates challenges our understanding of mythology, and forces us to ask vital questions about military occupation.

Theatre503 presents a Sleeping Trees production of

Scrooge and the Seven Dwarves (22nd November - 7th January)

One cold Christmas Eve, the Ghost of Christmas Past visits Mr Scrooge and transports him back in time in a bid to make him change his wicked ways. But Christmas Past makes a minor miscalculation and takes Scrooge back too far - all the way back to the time of fairy tales. Realising the error, Scrooge tries to get home. But with only a handful of unruly dwarves to help, will he make it back in time for Christmas? Or will he be trapped in the kingdom of magic mirrors, pirates and golden- haired heroines forever?

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Tour dates for And Then Come The Nightjars:

14 - 17 September, Live Theatre, Newcastle
20 - 24 September, Drum Theatre, Plymouth
26 September, Marine Theatre, Lyme Regis
28 September - 1 October, Salisbury Playhouse
4 - 5 October, North Wall Arts Centre, Oxford
6 October, Brewhouse, Taunton
11 October, Acorn Theatre, Penzance
13 October, Tolmen Centre, Falmouth
19 - 20 October, Stehen Joseph Theatre, Scarborough
21 - 22 October, Derby Playhouse

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Theatre503 continues to be the home of ground-breaking new writing. It has previously launched the careers of playwrights Dennis Kelly (Matilda The Musical, Utopia), Katori Hall (The Mountaintop), Tom Morton-Smith (Oppenheimer), Duncan MacMillan (People, Places and Things) and Anna Ziegler (Photograph 51), as well as being the smallest theatre to win an Olivier Award for Best New Play.

Ticket prices range from £5 - £15 (concessions available) and are available from theatre503.com, 020 7978 7040 or in person at the Theatre503 box office.

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