Talk by Indhu Rubasingham

P-P chairman John Morrison writes:

"Our guest on Monday 2 November is a rising star in London theatre, Indhu Rubasingham, artistic director of the Tricycle theatre in Kilburn since 2012. She took over from Nicolas Kent who had run the theatre for 28 years, specialising in verbatim plays.  Indhu's bold international choices in new writing reflect her long career as a freelance director in a wide variety of theatres, beginning at Nottingham Playhouse and taking in Chichester, Birmingham and Hampstead. Her current production at the Tricycle is The Wolf In Snakeskin Shoes, a loose adaptation of Moliere's Tartuffe by American playwright Marcus Gardley.  The Tricycle has one production running in the West End -- The Father by Florian Zeller at Wyndham's -- and another on the way at the Garrick in January as part of the Kenneth Branagh season.  This will be a revival of her first show at the Tricycle, Red Velvet, starring Adrian Lester as the pioneering black American actor Ira Aldridge.
She's also directed The Motherfucker With The Hat at the National Theatre.  You can read an interview with Indhu from The Independent here".

After the break we have CANCER RESEARCH, a short Halloweeny play by Our Man in Hollywood: Napoleon Ryan.

7.30 at the North London Tavern.

Blind Date

Monday 26th brings us the first full length play by P-P debutant Colette Cullen. She is an experienced director, producer and writer of short pieces. Indeed, a shortened version made the short list for our recent DANGER competition. This is the expanded version. As Colette explains:

"Two couples.  Two dates.  One gay.  One straight.  Each recount a radically different version of their blind date.  Sophie and Karl are persuaded to go on a blind date by mutual friends.  Mark and Alan meet through  facebook friends.  What have they to lose?  A compelling and intense drama about looking for love".

7.30 at the North London Tavern.

Conflict of Interest & Into the Trench via the Breach

October 19th brings us an enticing double bill. First, a welcome return for Mr. Player-Playwrights himself, Peter Thompson, who brings all his legal knowledge to bear in a forty minute radio play entitled Conflict of Interest. As he explains:

"Two young lawyer-wannabees (1m, 1f) decide to set up a Free Legal Advice Centre in St Barnabas church, for the benefit of the local community.  They have good intentions but no qualifications worth talking about and their public-spirited venture soon takes them way out of their depth.  Will they make it back to dry land?  Vicar Mary sincerely hopes so because she has £250K riding on  the outcome."

Then, after tea and biscuits, or a dry sherry and profiteroles ( according to taste) and a short discussion we have the second half of the double bill, perennial competition winner Debbie Maya returns with Into the Trench via the Breach:

"A school trip to a portrait gallery is not everybody's idea of heaven, least of all Josh. However, he has an unforgettable experience that will change his life forever".

7.30 at the North London Tavern.

Monster in Human Shape

Monday October 12th brings us a screenplay by P-P's time-keeper extraordinaire Giles Armstrong. let the great man explain:

Sylvia Connors is a businesswoman on top of her game. Just a short time ago she thought she'd lost eveything - but now, with the help of her faithful PA, Madge, she's back on course and rapidly becoming a player on the world stage.
"But gradually she comes to realise that Madge - pretty, super efficient, totally devoted to her - is a fiend in human shape. Kidnapping, blackmail, torture, burglary, data thrft on a vast scale, probably quite soon murder - these are only some of her crimes  - how can Sylvia be rid of this creature before Madge drags her into the abyss?
"She can't. On the day Madge plonks a severed head into her lap, Sylvia realised they are joined at the hip and that in fact she will achieve much more with this monster at her side.
"One day, perhaps,  the reckoning - but not yet".

7.30 at the North London Tavern.