04 September 2024
Newsdesk
Following a standout run at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, Daisy Hall’s debut play Bellringers makes its London premiere this autumn at Hampstead Theatre. Directed by Jessica Lazar, this Hampstead Theatre co-production plays Downstairs from 27 September to 2 November with an official press night on Monday, 7 October.
Daisy Hall’s comic and deeply moving debut play about love, community and being young in a world on the brink was a finalist for the Women’s Prize for Playwriting 2024, selected from over 1000 submissions. It was also chosen by the Evening Standard as one of 'the best Edinburgh 2024 shows coming to London this year'.
The ‘devastatingly poignant’ (The Times) and ‘richly imagined’ (The Scotsman) story begins as lifelong friends Clement and Aspinall find themselves sheltering in a bell tower as a fierce storm approaches. The storms are getting worse, with rains so hard that fish are falling from the sky. But the age-old belief prevails - that the pealing of bells can dissipate the thunder and lightning. It’s an extremely dangerous task – one that now falls to lifelong friends Clement and Aspinall – and as the weather worsens, the young men begin to question whether they’ll make it through the night. With their faith in tradition faltering, they find the only thing in which they have unwavering belief is each other.
Reflecting on her inspiration for the play, Daisy Hall says,
“The first ideas for this play began to come together during the long hot summer of 2021. Back then Bellringers felt like such a personal exploration of the fears and hopes that characterized that time. To me this play is about the persistence of love in an imploding world and I look forward to sharing it with audiences at Hampstead Theatre.”
The production stars Luke Rollason (Extraordinary, Disney +) plays Clement and Paul Adeyefa (The Mirror and the Light, Gielgud) plays Aspinall.
Bellringers is directed by Jessica Lazar (Sap, Edinburgh Fringe 2023) with design by Natalie Johnson, lighting design by David Doyle and sound design by Holly Khan. The casting director is Sarah Jones. This production is a Hampstead Theatre co-production with Atticist and Ellie Keel Productions (The Stage Producer of the Year 2024).
Further information and tickets are available from hampsteadtheatre.com
