Park Theatre Presents MINE MAKE A DOUBLE Series of Double Bills

Starting mid-November and running for four weeks, Park Theatre have programmed a new strand of work to give emerging artists and companies a chance to present their work in short run double bills. The four shows are partnered up for a two-week run: a one-woman show about being a young Jewish woman is paired with a hook-up gone wrong, and a Cold War tale is paired with a confession of tabloid journalist. Make Mine a Double aims to give theatre makers a lower-cost and lower-risk way of producing new work in the Finsbury Park venue, as well as offering multi-buy tickets to encourage local audiences to see compelling new work.

From 14 - 26 Nov, the first double bill sees the return of Pickle after a sold out run as part of Come What May earlier in the year, alongside Anything With A Pulse. Pickle is a darkly comic one-woman show about being Jewish and secular in the UK today. Written and performed by Deli Segal and produced by Tanya Truman, it follows Ari who's caught between two worlds. Still living at home in North-West London, she has her Jewish life, dominated by overbearing parents, traditions, and expectations. Then there's her day-to-day life - the job, the pub, the foreskins.

Anything with a Pulse from Wonky Donkey is a story of modern-day dating: spotting each other from across the dance floor, a man and a woman hit it off. In a world where we hide behind games, their story doesn't play out like it should.

The second pairing of Tunnels and Press (28 Nov - 10 Dec) explores darker themes. Tunnels, set at the height of the Cold War, introduces cousins Paul and Freddie who are trying to escape East Berlin. Told with live music and based on real-life stories of men and women who made it, Tunnels tells of their struggle to burrow under the Berlin Wall. Written by Oliver Yellop and brought to the stage by Further Theatre, it's a show about love, loyalty, family, nationhood and of course ... digging.

The final of the four shows is Press, the confessional story of an ex-tabloid hack. It's time to bring his skeletons out of the closet, but how can so much have been done with so few consequences? And how can the telling of truth be so much more dangerous than the telling of lies? This new play, written by Sam Hoare and directed by Romola Garai, takes a look at the freedoms afforded to the press in the UK compared to some other countries.

Artistic Director Jez Bond said, "Our inaugural Make Mine a Double season celebrates fresh talent on the new writing scene, providing a launch pad for these playwrights - handpicked by us. Supporting writers at the dawn of their careers, and seeing them develop makes me immensely proud - and is at the heart of Park Theatre's ethos. I am delighted to welcome back Pickle following its sold-out spring run, paired together with another returning hit play, Anything With a Pulse from 2019, for an uplifting evening of entertainment. Both productions have been created by two young female writers - Deli Segal and Eliana Ostoro. The second half of the season features two historically and politically-themed plays by Oliver Jessop and Sam Hoare. Four names to watch for in the future."

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 nine years, it has enjoyed eight West End transfers (including Daytona 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, twenty-five national tours, six Olivier Award nominations, has won Offie Awards for Best New Play and Best Foodie Experience and won a Theatre of the Year award from The Stage. Park Theatre are grateful to all those who have donated to the Park Life fund, supporting the venue through the pandemic..

DOUBLE BILL 1:

14 - 26 Nov

Press night: Wed 16 November

Anything with a Pulse | Presented by Wonky Donkey in association with Park Theatre

Written and directed by Eliana Ostro

A man and a woman meet in a club.

Spotting each other from across the dance floor, they hit it off. Their story should be simple enough. But in a world where we hide behind games and personas, it doesn't always play out like that.

He tries to fit in with his macho group of friends - 'some of the biggest dickheads to grace this planet'. And she is torn between feeling comfortable with the unexciting 'nice guy', or facing the games and pretences of modern dating.

60 mins I 16+

Pickle | Presented by Tanya Truman Productions in association with Park Theatre

Written by Deli Segal, directed by Kayla Feldman

Here's the shtick: Ari is caught between two worlds. Still living at home in North-West London, she has her Jewish life, dominated by overbearing parents, traditions, and expectations. Then there's her day-to-day life - the job, the pub, the foreskins.

Written and performed by Deli Segal and produced by Tanya Truman, Pickle is a darkly comic uproarious simcha of a one-woman show about being Jewish and secular in the UK today. Expect smoked salmon, guilt and a large dose of self-deprecation.

After a sold-out run at Park Theatre's Come What May festival, Pickle returns to Park90 for a limited two-week run this November.

60 mins | 16+

Anything with a Pulse performance schedule

7pm: 14th, 16th, 17th, 22nd, 25th, 26th | 8.30pm: 15th, 18th, 19th, 21st, 23rd, 24th

2.30pm: 19th, 24th | 4pm: 17th, 26th

Pickle performance schedule:

7pm: 15th, 18th, 19th, 21st, 23rd, 24th | 8.30pm: 14th, 16th, 17th, 22nd, 25th, 26th

2.30pm: 17th, 26th I 4pm: 19th, 24th

DOUBLE BILL 2:

28 Nov - 10 Dec

Press night: Wed 30 November

Tunnels | Presented by Further Theatre in association with Park Theatre

Written by Oliver Yellop I Directed by Colin Ellwood
Cast: Lewis Bruniges, Oliver Yellop

It's 1968. The Cold War is at its height. Cousins Paul and Freddie Metz want to escape East Berlin; the only thing in their way is a 20 metre 'death strip', hundreds of landmines and the East German secret police. With live musical accompaniment and based on the real-life escape stories of the men and women who made it to the other side, Tunnels tells of their struggle to burrow under the Berlin Wall. With strong resonances in the UK today Tunnels is a show about love, loyalty, family, nationhood and of course ... digging.

Tunnels returns to London after a critically acclaimed sell-out run at the 2021 Edinburgh Fringe Festival. Tunnels is presented by Further Theatre.

Written by Oliver Yellop, directed by Colin Ellwood (RSC, Traverse, Globe Theatre, Soho Theatre) performed by Oliver Yellop (The Prince of Denmark Royal National Theatre So Here we Are, Queens Theatre Hornchurch) and Lewis Bruniges (WhoDunnit: Unrehearsed and Whodunnit 2, Park Theatre So Here We Are, Queens Theatre Hornchurch and Trial By Laughter UK Tour). Live music written and performed by Benji Hooper.

60 mins | 14+

Press | Presented by Park Theatre

Written by Sam Hoare I Directed by Romola Garai
Cast -: Sam Hoare

Bertie doesn't need you to like him. He doesn't care. He's done some terrible things and his attempts to remedy them have come to no good either.

Maybe it's the journalist in him, but he needs someone to listen. To his story, as an ex-tabloid hack who made a living doing whatever was necessary, whatever the cost. But things have gone badly wrong and now it's time to bring his skeletons out of the closet. How can so much have been done with so few consequences? And how can the telling of truth be so much more dangerous than the telling of lies? Might his one attempt to be a 'good person' end in him losing everything dear to him. Will you laugh with him - or at least at him - for a moment; he needs someone to understand.

This new play takes a look at the freedoms afforded to the press in the UK compared to some other countries. How do you weigh protecting your family and safeguarding the truth?

60 mins | 12+

Tunnels performance schedule:

7pm: 28th, 30th, 1st, 6th, 9th, 10th | 8.30pm: 29th, 2nd, 3rd, 5th, 7th, 8th

2.30pm: 3rd, 8th | 4pm: 1st, 10th

Press performance schedule:

7pm: 29th, 2nd, 3rd, 5th, 7th, 8th | 8.30pm: 28th, 30th, 1st, 6th, 9th, 10th,

2.30pm: 1st, 10th | 4pm: 3rd, 8th

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