Graduating students from LAMDA (London Academy of Music & Dramatic Art) will present Maxim Gorky’s Summerfolk and Mike Bartlett’s Earthquakes in London at the Pleasance Theatre in Islington.

Presented by students from the school’s Two Year Acting Course and Two Year Stage Management & Technical Theatre Course, these productions provide a unique opportunity to meet the future of theatre, film, television and radio. Tickets are also free of charge, so there really is no excuse not to go and see them both.

Summerfolk
by Maxim Gorky
An amateur production by arrangement with Rosica Colin Ltd
2, 4, 24 & 26 April | 7.30pm
5 & 25 April 2013 | 2pm

At the turn of the 20th Century a group of Russian friends retreat for their annual summer holiday in the countryside. United by their place in history as an emergent Russian middle class, but disparate in their political views and private lives, their friendship will never be the same again come autumn.

Maxim Gorky’s naturalistic masterpiece depicts Russia as it teeters on the edge of social upheaval – exploring the dreams, fears and vanities of one group of friends as they question their value in a transient society.

Earthquakes in London
By Mike Bartlett
An amateur production by arrangement with Nick Hern Books
3, 5 & 25 April 2013 | 7.30pm
4, 24 & 26 April 2013 | 2pm

How can you live in a state of constant impending catastrophe? Is hope possible, responsible even, when scientists and politicians are predicting an environmental apocalypse? Earthquakes in London tracks the tremors of hedonism, terror and activism through the lives of three sisters and their estranged, misanthropic father.

Written by the award-winning Mike Bartlett (Love Love Love), the play premièred at the National Theatre in 2010 to critical acclaim.

Tickets for both productions are free of charge and can be booked by visiting pleasance.co.uk/islington

If you’ve not been to the Pleasance Theatre in Islington before then here is your chance because we are offering you £6 tickets to their latest production, An Instinct for Kindness. Promising to be powerful and moving, this show looks like one not to be missed. See below for some more information or scroll down to see how to claim the offer.

An Instinct for Kindness
by Chris Larner
Pleasance Theatre, Islington
20 – 24 March

In November 2010, Chris Larner accompanied his chronically ill ex-wife to Dignitas in Switzerland. He returned home with an empty wheelchair and a story to tell.

Powerfully moving and gripping, Larner’s show is by turns funny and heart-rending. His brilliant script and performance draw us inexorably into the haunting, humanstory of a woman making the ultimate decision about her own life.

Claim the offer
Tickets can be purchased for £6 (usual price £15) with the code “INSTINCT – AYT ” for Friday 22 March performance only. To book, simply call The Pleasance Box Office on 0207 609 1800 or purchase in person at the box office.

We are just too kind.  We have yet another competition for you! Our friends over at Pleasance Theatre in Islington have given us two pair of tickets for their production Coalition to be claimed for one of their first 5 performances! Here’s a bit more information for you:

Coalition
By Robert Khan and Tom Salinsky
19 Feb – 10 March, £8-£14
Pleasance Theatre, Islington

Following a smash hit Edinburgh run, Coalition – a fast-moving comedy satire about modern politics, charting the final days of Lib Dem Leader Matt Cooper, transfers to The Pleasance Theatre, Islington for a limited run.

It’s early 2015 and Britain’s coalition government has only a few months left to run. The Conservative Prime Minister and his Lib Dem Deputy haven’t spoken for months, the economy has flat-lined and government MPs are threatening to defect right, left and centre. Lib Dem leader Matt Cooper has to make a series of last, desperate gambles to save the party he loves.
www.pleasance.co.uk

Enter the Competition
Fill in the form below and submit it by 4.00pm on Friday 15th February

Fancy getting your hands on some free tickets to the shows in the LAMDA residency at the Pleasance Theatre? Well you can, with the below ticket offer

22 – 31 May, LAMDA is in residency at the Pleasance Theatre, Islington, with three gripping, modern plays.

Wild Turkey by Joe Penhall
LAMDA (London Academy of Music & Dramatic Art)

Ben works for Stu flipping burgers in a south London take-away. Danny is Mr Fix-It – or so they think. When a stranger turns up out of the blue, assumptions around their relationships are called into question.

The out-of-hours and unseen side of the London restaurant trade is brought into sharp focus in Joe Penhall’s masterful Wild Turkey. An award-winning writer, Penhall was described by The Financial Times as “one of the finest playwrights of his generation”.

Please note that this production contains strong language and scenes of an adult nature.
An amateur production by arrangement with Samuel French Ltd

*

Spring and Port Wine by Bill Naughton
LAMDA (London Academy of Music & Dramatic Art)

The generations clash in Bill Naughton’s domestic comedy as the respectable, upstanding Crompton family steadily falls apart over the question of an uneaten herring.

Against the backdrop of 1960’s industrial Bolton, wilful daughter, Hilda, denies her conservative father’s authority and brings the whole philosophy of post war living into question.

An amateur production by arrangement with Samuel French Ltd

*

Festen by David Eldridge
LAMDA (London Academy of Music & Dramatic Art)

Proud father, Helge, invites his children home to celebrate his 60th birthday. When his son, Christian, comes to make his toast however, the veneer of familial success is shattered.

In this disturbing family drama, skilfully adapted for the stage from Thomas Vinterberg’s 1998 film, the dangers of complicity and wilful ignorance are explored.

Please note that this production contains strong language and scenes of an adult nature.
An amateur production by arrangement with Marla Rubin Productions Ltd

*

LAMDA is a world-class drama school and educational charity, delivering exceptional vocational training in the dramatic arts. The actors, directors and technicians we train go on to shape the international performing arts industry.

We are currently raising money to develop our Barons Court home and build a new theatre. Whilst we do this, many of our large-scale public productions will be taking place in professional theatres across London and farther afield in an initiative we are calling LAMDA at Large.

To find out more about LAMDA, visit us at www.lamda.org.uk, follow us on Twitter (@LAMDAdrama) or find us on Facebook: www.facebook.com/LAMDAdrama.

*

Booking Information

To book your free ticket to LAMDA’s performances at the Pleasance Theatre, Islington, please contact the venue directly or book online:

T: 020 7609 1800
www.pleasance.co.uk*

*Please note that the Pleasance Theatre charges £1 per ticket booked online

Patrons may book up to six tickets to any performance free of charge, but are encouraged to make a donation to the Academy after the show. Photography by Pascal Mollière.