Theatre Royal Stratford East and Paines Plough Announce Their ROUNDABOUT Festival

Theatre Royal Stratford East and Paines Plough are thrilled to announce the programme for ROUNDABOUT Festival, which is taking place in the Theatre Square in front of Theatre Royal Stratford East from Thursday 10 - Saturday 26 October 2019, as part of Paines Plough's ROUNDABOUT Autumn UK Tour. Further programming will be announced soon.

Paines Plough and Theatre Royal Stratford East will present three plays which premiered at this year's Edinburgh Festival Fringe; On the Other Hand, We're Happy by Daf James, Dexter and Winter's Detective Agency by Nathan Byron and Daughterhood by Charley Miles. All three productions will be performed in rep by Charlotte Bate, Charlotte O'Leary and Toyin Omari-Kinch, directed by former Paines Plough Associate Director and nabokov Artistic Director, Stef O'Driscoll.

The festival will showcase an additional programme curated by Theatre Royal Stratford East, including Chineke! Orchestra, Middle Child, Shoot From The Hip, Queerstory: The Musical, Rumour Mill, Eric Walton: Mentalist, Black Girls' Book Club, Winter Streets Project, and a performance from four-time UK beatboxing champion Grace Savage.

Theatre Royal Stratford East, Artistic Director Nadia Fall said:

"Hosting Paines Plough's ROUNDABOUT is incredibly exciting and a very welcome addition to our new season. There is a huge variety of theatre and entertainment on offer, from new writing and comedy to cabaret, live music and brilliant community events. It promises to be a fun festival for local residents and audiences alike."

Co-Artistic Director of Paines Plough Katie Posner and Charlotte Bennett said:

"Bringing ROUNDABOUT back to London is hugely exciting for us and we're thrilled to be working in partnership with Theatre Royal Stratford East for the first time. We hope the packed programme will appeal to new audiences and Stratford East regulars. With such variety on offer, there really is something for everyone and ROUNDABOUT's special environment creates a festival atmosphere for all to enjoy."

On The Other Hand, We're Happy

By Daf James
Directed by Stef O'Driscoll

Thu 10 - Sat 26 Oct 2019, various times

A single dad meets his adopted daughter for the first time. Then he agrees to meet her birth mother. Three lives are changed forever. When their two worlds collide, will what they have in common outweigh their differences? A one-off meeting. But three lives will be changed forever. A tender, funny, hopeful play about being a mum when your name is Dad.

Tickets: Standard £19.50, under 26s £15
Running time: 1 hr 10 minutes
Age guidance: 14+
Captioned* performances: Wed 16 Oct, Sat 19 Oct, Fri 25 Oct
Relaxed performance: Mon 21 Oct

Dexter And Winter's Detective Agency

By Nathan Bryon
Directed by Stef O'Driscoll

Sat 12 - Sat 26 Oct 2019, various times

A fun family adventure. When Dexter's mum is sent to jail for getting mixed up in a jewellery robbery, it's up to Dexter and his best friend Winter to get her out. On their journey to uncover the truth and free Mum, their detective work leads them to some surprising discoveries.

A mad-cap adventure story for all the family from Nathan Bryon, one of the writers behind CBeebies hits Rastamouse, Apple Tree House and Swashbuckle.

Tickets: Standard £8.50, under 16s £6.50
Running time: 50 mins
Age guidance: 5+
Captioned* performances: Tue 15 Oct, Thu 24 Oct, Sat 26 Oct
Relaxed performance: Fri 25 Oct

Daughterhood

By Charley Miles
Directed by Stef O'Driscoll

Thu 10 - Sat 26 Oct 2019, various times

One sister stayed at home to care for Dad, the other set out to 'make a difference'. Reunited under their childhood roof, Pauline and Rachel unearth more than the 10 years between them.

It's a huge gap. Almost insurmountable. And each is determined to let the other know exactly who has done things right. Daughterhood is a beautiful, ferocious play about the bonds that tie us, and how we sometimes need to break them.

Tickets: £19.50 Standard, under 26s £15
Running time: 1 hr 10 mins
Age guidance: 14+
Captioned* performances: Tue 15 Oct, Wed 16 Oct, Sat 19 Oct
Relaxed performance: Thu 24 Oct

Special Ticket Offer - see Daughterhood and On the Other Hand, We're Happy on the same night for £30. Two-show dates: 11, 16, 17, 23 and 24 Oct

The Canary And The Crow

By Daniel Ward
Music by Prez 96 and James Frewer
Direction by Paul Smith

Thu 10 Oct, 9.45pm & Fri 11 Oct, 4.30pm

Grime and hip-hop-inspired gig theatre about the journey of a working-class black kid who's accepted to a prestigious grammar school.

Award-winning theatre company Middle Child present a lyrical, semi-autobiographical show from writer and performer Daniel Ward, with original live music by Prez 96 and James Frewer. Total Theatre Award 2019 nominee.

Tickets: Standard £15, under 26s £10
Running time: 1 hr 10 mins
Age guidance: 14+
Captioned* performances: Fri 11 Oct

*10 caption units are available at selected performances. Please select the 'caption ticket' option when booking online or speak to a member of staff when booking in person / over the phone.

Shoot From The Hip presents SURROUNDED

Sat 12 Oct, 9pm

Comedy as you've never seen it before... in 360 degrees! Watch some of the greatest up-and-coming funny talent make themselves dizzy as they perform in ROUNDABOUT. Master of ceremonies Sam Russell warms us up in the first half, joined by the always wonderful improv stylings of SHOOT FROM THE HIP (fresh from their sell-out show in Stratford East's main theatre in July). After the interval, three acclaimed stand-up comedians have been selected for your viewing pleasure:

Konstantin Kisin - Jewish Comedian of the Year
Yuriko Kotani - BBC New Comedy Award Winner
Nigel Ng - Edinburgh Newcomer Nominee

Tickets: Standard £15
Running time: 2 hrs
Age guidance: 14+

Rumour Mill

Sat 19 Oct, 8.45pm

Just like a Rumour, everyone is talking about Rumour Mill...

A spectacular theatrical feast, combining the very best in burlesque, boylesque, gender bending show girls and show boys and high-skill circus. Featuring Dave The Bear, Miss Betsy Rose, Margo Marshall, Miss Fallon Dee, Gianni Arancio and Sheridan Leigh.

Tickets: Standard £15, under 26s £10
Running time: 2hrs
Age guidance: 16+

Queerstory: The Musical

Fri 18 Oct, 9.10pm

QUEERSTORY is a musical jaunt through queer history including the bits that they tried to erase. Join Mercury and Maxim for a glitter-filled cabaret lecture, and the history lesson none of us got at school.

Tickets: Standard £15, under 26s £10
Running time: 1hr 50mins
Age guidance: 16+

Grace Savage

Mon 21 Oct, 9.45pm

Multi-award-winning beatboxer turned electro-pop artist, Grace Savage is an independent London-based singer-songwriter and was listed as one of ELLE Magazine's '100 Most Inspiring Women'.

Tickets: £15
Running time: 60 mins

Eric Walton: Mentalist

Fri 25 Oct, 9.15pm

Does fate govern our lives? Is it possible to see the future? Join the critically-acclaimed showman, raconteur and mind-reader Eric Walton, as he deftly employs wit, stagecraft and a wealth of esoteric knowledge to explore these perennial questions.

Tickets: Standard £15, under 17s £10
Running time: 1 hr 30 mins
Age guidance: 16+

Have I Got A Trick For You!

Sat 26 Oct, 4.30pm

Comedy, magic, and mentalism combine into one hilarious and spell-binding show from award-winning magician and entertainer Eric Walton, for all the family to enjoy.

Tickets: Adult £15, under 17s £10
Running time: 1 hr 30 mins
Age guidance: 10+

Black Girls Book Club Presents Dope Discussions

Sat 26 Oct, 8.45pm

The ever-brilliant Black Girls Book Club bring DOPE DISCUSSIONS to ROUNDABOUT for a special Black History Month edition. DOPE DISCUSSIONS forms part of a series of free events that BGBC have launched. The theme is: the power of Black women. This event is open to all who wish to attend. Black Girls Book Club's mission is to create a space which allows Black women to come together on a positive vibe.

This event is funded by Newham Council as part of their Black History Month programme.

Tickets: FREE EVENT (ticketed)
Running time: 2 hrs

Chineke! Chamber Ensemble

Mon 21 Oct, 5.30pm

Experience an intimate chamber performance from members of Europe's first majority Black and Ethnic Minority (BME) orchestra. The ensemble is comprised of exceptional musicians from across the continent who perform a mix of standard orchestral repertoire along with the works of BME composers both past and present.

The ensemble will play Richard Strauss' Till Eulenspiegel einmal anders! (arranged Franz Hasenoehrl), Errollyn Wallen's NNENNA and Beethoven's Septet in E flat major, Op 20.

Funded by Newham Council as part of their Black History Month programme. This free event is open to Newham residents only, through a ballot.

Running time: 75 mins

Winter Streets Project

Tue 22 Oct, 10am

Winter Streets Project is a charity that provides survival kits for people living off the streets during the winter months. In these kits are essential items such as thermal clothing, toiletries, food, first aid items, writing material, rain macs and much more. We will be holding a collection day in ROUNDABOUT where people can come and donate items to the project. See our website for how you can help.

Further events to be announced.

ROUNDABOUT is supported by Aspers Good Causes Fund.

To post a comment, you must register and login.