Roundabout is back… and this summer, in partnership with Lambeth ELEVATE, we’re headed to Slade Gardens, Brixton for a 10-day celebration of new plays, musicals, drag performances, comedy and community events.
In co-production with Belgrade Theatre, Coventry, we present four brand new shows – BLACK LOVE by Chinonyerem Odimba with music by Ben and Max Ringham, HUNGRY by Chris Bush, REALLY BIG AND REALLY LOUD by Phoebe Eclair-Powell and MAY QUEEN by Frankie Meredith – along with a stonking programme from visiting companies and artists including Bonnie and the Bonnettes, RashDash, Nouveau Riche, My Uncle is not Pablo Escobar, Jen Ives and William Stone, Thanyia Moore, Sukh Ojla and Sindhu Vee.
We really missed live performance last year. We know you did too. We hope this 10-day celebration of affordable, joyful, revitalising performances in our adaptable pop-up venue will offer something for everybody. Come on down to Brixton. We hope to see you there.
#RoundaboutBrixton
How to buy a ticket at the concession rate..
We are very sorry to announce that due to Covid-enforced absences within our company, performances of BLACK LOVE and HUNGRY Roundabout can no longer play as scheduled.
There will still be a host of Roundabout shows and community events to enjoy. We hope that performances of BLACK LOVE and HUNGRY will be resumed on Friday 26th August. You can find the current schedule on each show’s page.
Guests affected by any changes have been contacted by email by their point of purchase with information on how to exchange tickets into a new performance date or receive a refund.
On behalf of everyone at Paines Plough we apologise for the disappointment and for any inconvenience caused. Thank you for the continued support.
This is a story. Charli’s story.
It’s about losing your voice and going on a big adventure to find it again. It features a rageful rhino, a very helpful fly called Stephen and some really good songs about chips.
A show for all the family from award-winning playwright Phoebe Eclair-Powell.
Reviews of previous Paines Plough shows:
DEXTER AND WINTER’S DETECTIVE AGENCY
★★★★ The Stage
The first thing Olivia said upon leaving the theatre is “Can I come here every week?” So, the next show has already been booked. If you have a young child that has never been to the theatre before, this is the perfect debut! ★★★★★ On-The-Scene Media
HOW TO SPOT AN ALIEN
“An absolute romp… the children in the audience spent a lot of time on the edges of their seats.” ★★★★ Broadway Baby
★★★★ Edinburgh Festival For Kids
OUR TEACHER’S A TROLL
“Fun, funny and unpatronising… comic perfection.” ★★★★ The Times
“All the wit, grotesque humour and naughtiness of Dahl’s best.” ★★★★ What’s On Stage
I GOT SUPERPOWERS FOR MY BIRTHDAY
“If only all children’s theatre could be performed in the Paines Plough Roundabout… endlessly dynamic and frequently funny.” ★★★★ The List
“Exploding with energy… exemplary family entertainment.” ★★★★ The Stage
“This is fast-moving, energetic and exciting storytelling at it’s very, very finest.”
★★★★★ Edinburgh Festival for Kids
HOW TO BE A KID
“A fast-paced comedic romp… lives that are turned around through communication, hope and love.” ★★★★ The Scotsman
This is perfect start to a day… this heart-warming story is sensitive, uplifting and great fun. This is storytelling at its finest.” ★★★★ British Theatre Guide
Introducing Roundabout’s first ever musical.
Love freely. Love freedom. Love.
Meet Aurora and Orion: Sister and Brother. Constellations in time. More than blood. More than just fam.
They look after each other in their small London flat, filled with the memories of their parents’ Black Love.
When that love is threatened, they have to find their way back to each other and to what it means to love whilst Black. Using real-life stories, imagined worlds and new songs inspired by an R&B heritage, they begin a journey to confronting their own worst fears.
BLACK LOVE is an explosion of form-busting storytelling, an ode to Black music, and those real stories we rarely hear.
“30 just matters, init. Like there’s no doubt you’re a proper adult then. Like 25 to 29 is just training but 30, it’s real.”
Tunde’s 30th birthday is fast approaching. So he’s just started therapy because he hasn’t been able to get to the gym for weeks and a recent one-night stand ended in tears – his.
Interrogating the challenge of opening up and accepting our own vulnerabilities, SESSIONS by Ifeyinwa Frederick is a raw, funny, bittersweet deep-dive into the complexities of masculinity, depression and therapy.
The Electric nightclub is a sanctuary for Sasha. It is where she feels closest to her father. But its reputation is now one of faded glamour.
When everything the club has ever stood for is threatened, Sasha knows she must act. For her Dad’s memory to live on, Sasha must take her revenge – in the most violent and bloody way possible.
The Electric is a contemporary re-telling of Electra by Sophocles, set in an Essex night club. It is a story about grief, greed and growing up.
not what a girl should do.
not what a queen would do.
well f*ck what a queen would do.
May Day in Coventry, 2022. Sixteen-year-old Leigh has been chosen as May Queen. She’s buzzin, as is the rest of the city.
The cider is flowing and St George’s flag is flying – but during the day’s festivities something happens. Something disturbing, but maybe… unsurprising.
As the year moves on in the City of Peace and Reconciliation, Leigh must face up to the events of that hot May Day, and dig deep within herself to ask – how did she get here? And how does she get out?
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The Stage described it as “richly written” and raved about the “gripping performance from Yasmin Dawes”. We hope to see you at this vividly realised production.