Theatre 503 Archives - North West End UK

12Jul

By Olivia CoxNo Comments

London

Dog Sh!t – Theatre 503

With a title like ‘Dog Sh!t’ and a promotional poster featuring a cartoon canine caught in that very act, audiences watching Bellaray Bertrand-Webb’s play at Theatre503 should know to expect the unexpected. Selling out an acclaimed run at the Dublin Fringe Festival last year, Dog Sh!t has transferred to London’s Theatre503 for two nights, directed by Ursula McGinn. The 70-minute play focuses on four characters: the existentially melancholic Emma (Laura Brady), passionate thespian Raven (Gracie Oddie-James), creative-turned-corporate Nora (Breffni Holahan), and Nora’s boyfriend Obi (Aaron Shosanya), the tech bro with a surprising obsession with Greek philosophy. Advertised as a satirical comedy, I’m happy to say that Dog Sh!t definitely isn’t all bark and no bite. Firstly, the c...

5Jul

By Dave SmithNo Comments

London

Agatha – Theatre503

Agatha and Ben are newly engaged and about to have his parents around for dinner to share their happy news. Agatha seems distracted and when Ben finds a sonogram picture, their different needs from their relationship come into combat. Told through a series of flashbacks, from their first night together we follow the couple through the years, young love, moving in together, settling into the quiet moments and to the marriage proposal. There is a complication that Ben wants children, Agatha does not and despite the years together and the time jumps to show them together, it isn’t something either of them ever brought up. It seems odd that so far into a relationship, living together for years, talking of marriage and of future plans but neither have mentioned their strongly held beli...

22Feb

By Alice RoseNo Comments

London

My Brother’s Keeper – Theatre 503

Mahad Ali’s new play follows two refugee brothers, Aman and Hassan (Tapiwa Mugweni, Tito Williams) finding new life in a UK coastal town. Their new home is the local Bed and Breakfast owned by father and son; Bill Bradley and Aidan (Phillip Wright, Oscar Adams). Undergoing the stress of his father’s failing business, Aidan invites the brothers to stay in one of their rooms, much to his father’s concerns. We follow the rise of Aidan and Aman’s sweet romance; although Aidan struggling with his depression, he is pulled into new territories and told to face them as Aman says ‘we face forwards, not backwards’. Hassan’s main focus is to make as much money as he can, only to send it back to his wife and child. An unexpected friendship brings Hassan and Bill together in the form of running, Bill b...

<strong>Zombiegate – Theatre 503</strong>

10Nov

By Alice RoseNo Comments

London

Zombiegate – Theatre 503

An innocent photo twists into a real horror story for two young people after taking a selfie dressed as Zombies for Halloween but fail to see the memorial flowers for a dead child behind them. The internet fights back at the morality of their decision. Sophie (Ebony Jonelle) immediately apologises, horrified that she hadn’t seen what was behind her. Being employed in a charity raising funds for terminal illness for children, she completely understands the impact of her mistake. However, Jamie (George Howard) can’t help but bite back at the trolls, questioning who and why they attack his morality when they can use 15 different profiles to indite fear into their victims, and in this case it’s Sophie who takes most of the hits. Months after, Sophie still receives daily calls, her locations re...

8Jun

By Alice RoseNo Comments

London

No Particular Order – Theatre 503

Directed by Joshua Roche, we are shown a fascinating insight of a near future world in which those in charge although not present in this telling, decide the fate of the community they speak for which result in war, environmental damage and protesting. This take place over a long period of time although told in short episodic chapters with 4 actors (Jules Chan, Pandora Colin, Pía Laborde-Noguez, Daniel York Loh) taking a new role in each scene and tell the stories of those willing to give up everything for the causes they believe in and remind us they are just like us, not ‘heroic or remarkable’ but people fighting for sustainability of community. We are transported through lifetimes watching the after effects of believing in our leaders, the damage of glorifying one person and that allows...

13Apr

By Alice RoseNo Comments

London

Tapped – Theatre 503

Tapped by Katie Redford is a unique story following a mother, daughter and a local friend turned motivational speaker. Gavi’s (Max Hastings) goal is to start a group which encourages people to achieve their dream in 6 weeks, but that may be harder to achieve due to no one showing up except for a mother and daughter duo (Jennifer Daley and Olivia Sweeney) who have a growing frustration buried by years of misunderstandings. This trio work together, surpassing barriers of the mind and forcing positive thinking until it works but inevitably it doesn’t work, and the fall seems harder. This story is a heartfelt piece showing the depth of mental health in small towns full of people with much bigger dreams and how unforgiving parenthood can seem when struggling with the expectations of being a ...

10Nov

By Alice RoseNo Comments

London

Milk and Gall – Theatre 503

2016, a woman giving birth and an election. This play follows Vera, (MyAnna Buring) trying to understand being a mother in a very hopeless climate, one she certainly didn’t wish for and one she may have even decided to not have a child in- if she could start again. We are with Vera as she experiences the first year of her child’s life, a very honest and open experience of what new mothers may experience with all the sharp edges and hidden corners. The struggles matched with the consistent worry of the outside world, the wanting to do more and fighting politics with her husband’s mother. Photograph © Jane Hobson. I thought this writing was fantastic, Mathilde Dratwa led us through this year beautifully well and never fell short to surprise us. Their view on this world is abstract a...