Unfolded's Night Of 'Magazine Theatre' Returns At The Southwark Playhouse

There are few other new writing nights where you can be transported across every continent in 90 minutes. So, luckily, Unfolded, run by Some People Productions, returns on the 3rd December to Southwark Playhouse, ready to share more less-told tales.

Stories of Indian women fighting domestic slavery, U.S. men struggling with expectations and mental health, and a brutal reminder closer to home that not everyone chooses to be homeless, Unfolded aims to put on stories less heard.

The idea came to Eleanor Ross, a former foreign affairs journalist, when she was researching a story about LGBTQ refugees. "I just couldn't see any information in the press, or in magazines, but I had testimony in front of me that LGBTQIA+ refugees were being treated badly from Stonewall. I knew it was a story that needed to be written."

She began to plan a night of stories as part of a "magazine theatre" genre, where, snippets of news that would be found on the back pages of The Economist would be elevated to plays. Together with Ana Torre, an actor Eleanor met while they were doing the National Theatre Playwriting course, the pair started Some People Productions, and with it, a new writing night, Unfolded.

After four sold out nights at the Bread and Roses Theatre in Clapham (and 4* reviews), they're trying out an evening at Southwark Playhouse. "We wanted a bit more room for the audience, and to make sure everyone who wanted to see the show could," says Torre. "Also the Southwark Playhouse is a great, central venue, although we loved every minute and the support that the Bread and Roses gave us."

The next show will turn its lense on national, rather than international issues. The Outing, written by Chesca Foristal for example, focuses on Camberwell's Maudsley hospital, and is about eating disorder rehabilitation, while Martin Keady's play Last First is a tender look at mental health and suicide. Other writers include Karla Marie Sweet, a TV and theatre writer, with her play Nuts on abuse of power, and Ollie Clark, who has written a brilliantly funny piece about the role of the BBC after the whole Sean and Katya debacle on strictly. Kate Reid (Front Line, about community in Northern Ireland)and Andy Walker (Border, about, you guessed it, borders) will also have plays on.

Unfolded promises to be a searing look at the state of the world, seen through the eyes of society, rather than how the history books will recall 2018.

Ticket link: https://southwarkplayhouse.co.uk/events/unfolded/

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