Upcoming SLT Productions
The Ballad of Maria Marten
by Beth Flintoff
Performances: 6 - 10 May 2025
The Ballad of Maria Marten is a captivating and dramatic reimagining of a true crime story from 1827, with the voices of women reclaiming their narrative and demonstrating the strength of female friendship.
At the heart of the story is Maria Marten, a spirited young woman from a small English village whose body is discovered buried in a barn a year after her disappearance. What follows is the retelling of the events leading up to her murder—this time, from Maria’s perspective and the voices of the women around her.
The play is a story of class, abuse, and resilience, but ultimately of love, turning the tragic true tale into a powerful and often humorous exploration of the experiences of women in a society that often silenced them.
Director: Cal Beckett
The Unfriend
by Steven Moffat
Performances: 20 - 24 May 2025 (including a Saturday matinee)
While on holiday Peter and Debbie befriend Elsa: a lusty, Trump-loving widow from Denver, USA. She's less than woke but kind of wonderful. They agree to stay in touch - because no one ever really does, do they?
When Elsa invites herself to stay a few months later, they decide to look her up online - however, what they discover makes them wish they had never looked at all. Shaken to their very core and desperate to cancel Elsa’s impending visit, the pair hear the dreaded noise of the doorbell.
What began as an innocent holiday encounter has now turned into a game of cat and mouse. But Pete and Debbie can’t help but be utterly polite. After all, you can’t die of embarrassment...can you? A dark comedy that's enjoyed Chichester Festival and West End success.
Director: Bob Callender
First rehearsal: 9 March 2025
Romeo and Juliet
by William Shakespeare
Performances: 2 - 7 June 2025
Romeo and Juliet is one of Shakespeare’s most famous tales of love and tragedy, but in this unique reimagining, Romeo and Juliet’s romance will unfold within the walls of an Edwardian asylum, where the characters’ actions and emotions are amplified in this intense, confined environment.
This familiar story of yearning, loyalty and desperate acts of passion takes on new meaning as we ask: are acts of love also acts of madness?
Director: Stephen Hayward
First rehearsal: 23 March 2025
Villa
by Guillermo Calderón
Performances: 17 - 21 June 2025
Villa is a gripping and thought-provoking drama that explores the painful legacy of a country’s past, set against the backdrop of a former torture site. In this powerful and intimate play, three women gather to debate the future of the Villa Grimaldi, a real-life site of atrocities during Chile’s dictatorship.
Their mission: to decide how the site should be memorialised. As the women deliberate, they confront deep, conflicting emotions about memory, justice, and the responsibilities of remembering a painful history. Should the site be a museum, a memorial, or something else entirely? Their intense conversation becomes a metaphor for a nation’s struggle to reconcile with its violent past.
Director: Stephen Grist
First rehearsal: 6 April 2025
These Shining Lives
by Melanie Marnich
Performances: 1 - 5 July 2025
These Shining Lives is a powerful and poignant play telling the true story of the women who worked at the Radium Dial Company in the 1920s and 30s, painting watch dials with glowing radium paint—unaware of the deadly consequences.
This deeply moving drama follows the journey of four courageous women as they fight for justice after discovering that their work has poisoned them. These Shining Lives is not just a story of corporate negligence, but of resilience, friendship, and the strength of the human spirit, as the women band together to take on their employer in a landmark legal battle that changes American labour laws forever.
Director: LilyAnn Green
First rehearsal: 6 April 2025
James and the Giant Peach
Adapted by David Wood
Performances: 17 - 26 July 2025
In this delightful stage adaptation, Roald Dahl’s classic tale is faithfully told by James himself, along with the insect characters – Miss Spider, Old-Green-Grasshopper, Centipede, Ladybird, and Earthworm. Full of fun, thrills and a sprinkling of magic, James' epic adventures will be brought to life in a show for all the family.
Director: Simon Gleisner
First rehearsal: To be confirmed
SLT Summer Shorts 2025
by various writers
Performances: 5 - 9 August 2025
Our annual new writing vehicle comes racing into town once again, with the opportunity for anyone with an idea to put together a 10-minute play which can be easily staged, with no more than 5 actors.
Submissions are closed, but there's more on this year's theme here
Auditions: 11 and 12 May, 2025
First rehearsal: TBC (shortly after the auditions.)
Cold Water
by Philippa Lawford
Performances: 2 - 6 September 2025
A romcom about attraction and aspiration, told through snapshots from six months of Emma and Matt working together on a school production of The Seagull. 1F (22), 1M (35) More info & script
Director: Elliot Archer
Auditions: End of May, 2025
NSFW
by Lucy Kirkwood
Performances: 16-20 September 2025
A biting workplace satire that skewers media ethics, gender politics, and exploitation. Sharp, darkly funny, and provocative. 4M & 2F (18-50s) More info & script
Director: Sapphire Shoferpoor
Auditions: Early June, 2025
Accidental Death of an Anarchist
by Dario Fo, adapted by Tom Basden
Performances: 30 September - 4 October 2025
A fast-paced political farce exposing police corruption through absurdity, satire, and razor-sharp wit. Chaotic, clever, and outrageously funny. 3M, 1F, 3 ANY More info & script
Director: Mark Ireson
Auditions: Mid June, 2025
Es & Flo
by Jennifer Lunn
Performances: 14 - 18 October 2025
An exploration of the power of women through the lens of Es and Flo’s relationship and others who come into their home. Es & Flo is by turns humorous and reflective. 4F (1 x white British, early 70s; 1 x black British, early-mid 60s; 1 x Polish, 30s; 1 x white British, 40s-50s) + child role. More info & script
Director: Jess Osorio
Auditions: Late June, 2025
TBC
by TBC
Performances: 28 October - 1 November 2025
This slot is still open. Contact theatrecommittee@southlondontheatre.co.uk with ideas.
Director: TBC
Auditions: Early July, 2025
The Crucible
by Arthur Miller
Performances: 11 - 15 November 2025
A gripping classic tale of fear, power, and mass hysteria, set during the Salem witch trials. Intense, timeless, and powerfully resonant. 7-10F (20s-60s); 7-10M (30s-60s) More info & script
Director: Yohann Philip
Auditions: Early August, 2025
Mixed Feelings
by Ajjaz Awad-Ibrahim
New Writing!
Performances: 26 - 29 November 2025
A dynamic piece of new writing looking at race, sexuality, family and the intersection of the above. With pace, it explores identity in British society today.
Director: Ajjaz Awad-Ibrahim
Auditions: Mid August, 2025
Christmas show
by TBC
Performances: 9-20 December 2025 (TBC)
This slot is still open. Contact theatrecommittee@southlondontheatre.co.uk with ideas.
Director: TBC
Auditions: Late August, 2025