One actor, one spectator: new micro-plays will tour London in a Covid-secure pop-up venue

Presented in a specially designed Covid-secure pop-up venue, We Are Kilter’s Theatre For Two is a series of personal, interactive meetings between actor and audience member. The four newly commissioned micro-plays are written by some of the most exciting up-and-coming talent, Tabby Lamb, Macadie Amoroso, Ryan Lane, and Gabriella Leon, and celebrate the absurdity of human connection.

After a year of being stuck, unexpectedly stranded in isolation, isn’t it time to meet someone new? Step inside and meet four eccentric characters who are desperate for company and comradeship – whether that’s sharing a cuppa, a daydream or a waxworm. These micro-plays will plunge the audience into a funny, surprising and sometimes peculiar experience. Each semi-improvised play will engage the audience in the storytelling, rendering them a vital part of the narrative. Together, they will create unique playful interactions.

A cancelled picnic, a cancelled protest and now a cancelled bus? A clarion call for a more tender society, Gluten Free Crispy Caramel Mini Bite by Tabby Lamb (Since U Been Gone, HighTide) is about the need to be seen, heard and valued for who we are.

Rumour has it she was once the most famous woman in Hollywood but now, faded beyond memory, she lives out her days inside, trying to recreate the Golden Years. At The Recluse Who Lives On A Hill written and performed by Ryan Lane (Ryan Lane Will Be There Now In A Minute, VAULT Festival), you might enter as a nobody, but you could leave as the next shining star.

Alone within four walls, sometimes you need to have a conversation, have someone talk back to you, someone to tell you that your Ex just isn’t worth it. Reptile by Macadie Amoroso (Blue Beneath My Skin, Bunker Theatre) is a heart-warming piece about a cold-blooded companion in the good times and the bad.

Meet a unique friend, use words to create something never heard before and make your time count with Share-My-Home Companion from Gabriella Leon (Casualty). A ludicrous and powerful piece about the need to have something to do, something to look forward to, something to talk about as time trickles and yet races away, stuck inside.

Director Ed Theakston comments, as we emerge from the past year, I am thrilled to have been able to collaborate with a tremendously talented group of artists to bring this show to life. The focus of the show is to safely create moments of human connection, and to centre the power and immediacy of live theatre. Theatre For Two will be popping up in the heart of communities across London, providing some much-needed escapism and joy. Theatre has a vital role to play, not least in us all processing ‘These Unprecedented Times’. Theatre For Two is our contribution.

To remain Covid-Secure, the space designed by Ioana Curelea (The Strange Tale of Stan Laurel and Charlie Chaplin, Told by an Idiot) will be a self-contained pop-up unit measuring approximately 3m by 2m to allow for social distancing, with tickets purchased as a ‘bubble’, for one or two. The space will be separated by a clear Perspex-style screen, with removable chairs for audience members and space for one performer. The audience space is wheelchair accessible and will feature easily sanitised hard furnishings to ensure thorough and effective cleaning between performances. Tickets can be booked for each stand-alone piece or to experience the full cycle of all four over the course of an hour.

The performances will be accompanied by workshops for families and young people exploring storytelling and playfulness, delivered by director Katie Coull (Arts for Essential Workers) and actor and educator Matthew Grove.

Theatre for Two is generously supported by Arts Council England.