Spring Forward: Nick Hern Shorts

Four new plays published by Nick Hern Books

PMQ by Ella Hickson. Directed by George Savona.

PMQ was first presented as part of Coalition, a season of work at Theatre503 in 2010, and singled out by Lyn Gardner as a “cunning drama”. The play is set in a Westminster dressing room, where new PM Dave is nervously preparing for his first-ever bout of Prime Minister’s Questions. As he rehearses his lines, he is continually mocked and interrupted by Speaker, a young woman who sits in a large green-leather armchair suspended high above the floor, strumming a guitar.

Prodigal by Kalungi Ssebandeke. Directed by Rosanna Preston.

Playwright and actor Kalungi Ssebandeke describes his play : “… it’s about an estranged brother and sister who are brought together after the death of their mother. This meeting forces them to deal with the root of their dysfunctional family. It’s a play about what it means to be the odd one out and how the power of family can help repair any broken relationship”.

Baby Dolls by Tamara von Werthern. Directed by Lucy Moss.

Darkly comic and subversive, Baby Dolls explores the idea of pregnancy, bodily autonomy, babies, and cupcakes. For a short play, this piece gets through a lot! Tamara von Werthern is a playwright, screenwriter and producer.As a playwright, her work includes The White Bike (The Space, London, 2017) and the short plays Baby Dolls (Hackney Attic, 2015) and The Village Church. Her work has also been shown at the Royal Court, the Arcola Theatre, Burdall’s Yard, Bath, the Lion & Unicorn Theatre, London, the White Bear Theatre, London, and the Pleasance Theatre, Edinburgh, as well as a number of site-specific performances with her own theatre company Para-Site Productions and Plays Rough London.

Ursa Major by Joe White. Directed by Anna Jones.

Jay encounters Callisto, a homeless woman outside a supermarket. Jay is feeling down on his luck, but he has a lot to learn from Callisto in this poignant, witty piece about love and fortune.

• Show: current/future_show
• Society Name: 40421
• Venue Name: Tower Theatre
• Opening date: 23/02/2022
• Venue Postcode: N167HR
• Closing date: 26/02/2022
• Region: Greater London
• Credits ( author / playwright ): E.Hickson/K.Ssebandeke/T. van Werthern/A.Jones
• Website: https://www.towertheatre.org.uk/nhs/
• Tickets cost per person (£): Advance – Online and Phone Bookings Adult (General Admission) – £12 Concession* – £11 Friend or Member – £10
• Box Office phone number: 02073531700