Finsbury Park’s award-winning Park Theatre has announced a bold new slate for its Summer and Autumn residency. The upcoming programme is described by Artistic Director Jez Bond as "expansive and deeply rooted," featuring world premieres, powerful verbatim storytelling, and inclusive adaptations that bridge the gap between global history and local community.
Headlining the World Premieres
The Park200 space will host two major productions exploring the resilience of artists under tyranny. The season highlights include:
Holy Fool (27 Aug – 10 Oct): This world premiere examines the life of celebrated composer Dmitri Shostakovich. Struggling under Stalin’s brutal regime, Shostakovich must navigate a "perilous line between obedience and defiance." It is a darkly witty exploration of how "his music made him, but it could destroy him."
The Pianist (15 Oct – 28 Nov): Directed by the acclaimed Thom Southerland, this landmark adaptation of Wladyslaw Szpilman’s memoir brings the "Polish Gershwin’s" own music to the stage for the first time. Featuring virtuoso actor-musicians, it is a "love letter to culture" and the power of creativity to outlast history.
Community and Inclusivity at the Core
In the flexible Park90 studio, the theatre reinforces its commitment to local voices and accessibility:
The Talking Drum: Voices of the Andover Estate (19 – 29 Aug): Developed from years of research by London Metropolitan University, this verbatim play "foregrounds the voices of a community fighting to be heard." It explodes media assumptions about the Islington estate, asking, "What does community mean to residents now?"
Bull (30 Sept – 24 Oct): Deafinitely Theatre returns with a bilingual British Sign Language adaptation of Mike Bartlett’s razor-sharp play. Directed by Paula Garfield MBE, it is a "strained and unsettling examination of workplace bullying" where empathy disappears under the pressure of survival.
Rounding out the season is a revival of The Importance of Being Oscar, celebrating the wit of Oscar Wilde, and the return of the fan-favourite celebrity fundraiser Whodunnit [Unrehearsed].
