Spellbound Productions & The White Bear Theatre Presents CHRISTMAS

A week before Christmas in an East-End pub, hard-bitten landlord Michael Macraw awaits the arrival of his customers. In comes Billy-Lee Russell, who has just found out who his father was and that his mother has started smoking cannabis to "ease her arthritis". Also drinking is Giuseppe Rossi, an elderly barber who has taken pride in charging the same price for the past five years and bemoans the emergence of "hair-care centres" and "hair surgeons". They are joined by a series of mysterious punters who perform magic tricks and search for Pekinese dogs. Last of all comes Charlie Anderson: ex-classical-musician-turned-postman who seeks to unearth the regulars deepest secrets with a series of jokes, anecdotes and searing interrogations which disturb what little security they posses. As the evening progresses and the drink flows, it emerges that one of them has a secret he dare not share...

A hidden gem by acclaimed playwright Simon Stephens, revived by Spellbound Productions and The White Bear Theatre, Christmas explores the lives and obsessions of four souls in the city as they confront their pasts and prepare for their futures. It is the story of hope, disappointment, the abandonment of dreams and the need to move on and face what is ahead.

The cast comprises Ralph Aiken, William Ely, James Groom and Lionel Guyett.

Simon Stephens is one of Britain's foremost playwrights whose work includes Motortown (Royal court), Harper Regan(Royal National Theatre) and Wonderland (Royal Court Theatre). His multi-award adaptation of The Curious Incident of The Dog in The Night transferred from the National to the West-End and recently opened on Broadway.

Michael Kingsbury is a Time Out and Peter Brook Award winning writer and director. His plays include All Manner of Meansat the BAC (Time Out Critics' Choice) which later transferred to The Kings' Head. He also wrote Under the Influence at The White Bear Theatre and Seduced at The Finborough Theatre. His directing work includes In Lambeth by Jack Shepherd at the Southwark Playhouse; the critically acclaimed Ying Tong by Roy Smiles at the West Yorkshire Playhouse which subsequently transferred to the Ambassadors; States of Shock by Sam Shepard at the BAC; This Other Eden by Jonathan Moore at the Soho Theatre; and the hugely successful West End and touring hit Round the Horne - Revisited.

The White Bear focuses on new writing and lost classics. It exists to nurture talent, extend possibilities and offer a space where risks can be taken. People who have cut their teeth at The White Bear include: Joe Penhall, Emily Watson, Tamzin Outhwaite, Kwame Kwei Armah, Vicky Featherstone, Torben Betts, and Lucinda Coxon. The White Bear has also developed and hosted work by a new generation of theatre makers including this year's Verity Bargate winner Vicky Jones, Blanche McIntyre, The Ugly Sisters, and Simon Evans. Former White Bear Associates include Adam Spreadbury-Maher and Box of Tricks Theatre.

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