Box Set Summer Festival
10 PLAYS in 8 DAYS.

27 JULY - 3 AUGUST 2024

Putney Arts Theatre hosts its own mini Edinburgh Festival as Putney Theatre Company  presents a series of short plays by some of the UK’s best playwrights during a week of celebration for the theatre’s 60th year.

A repertory of 10 award-winning plays  forms the centrepiece of eight days of festivities, as we throw open the doors of the theatre, welcoming you all to a dazzling world of comedy, drama and family entertainment.   

BOX SET SUMMER FESTIVAL SCHEDULE 

 A Hundred Words for Snow by Tatty Hennessy
Rory's dad always wanted to visit the North Pole. Now it’s too late for him, but not for Rory. Bearing her dad’s ashes, she sets off in the footsteps of the great explorers, to get her dad to the top of the world. A moving and funny coming-of-age story, and a journey like no other – one that’s sure to melt your heart.

Bobby & Amy by Emily Jenkins
Bobby and Amy are 16-year-old misfits and friends from a small, West Country village. Against the backdrop of a terrible agricultural epidemic playing out across rural England, two actors recreate a whole community in an award-winning story of courage, loyalty, endurance… and saving a cow called Abigail.

Borders by Henry Naylor
A celebrated war photographer who once had an audience with Osama bin Laden. A young Syrian, six months pregnant, on an ageing fishing boat in the Mediterranean, sinking fast under the weight of refugees. Two stories, interwoven in Henry Naylor’s multi-award-winning play about one of the great crises of our time.

Comment is Free by James Fritz
Alastair Cooper is a journalist with opinions on everything and everyone. But, as he’s soon to find out, everyone also has an opinion on him – and it's a dangerous world out there. In acclaimed author James Fritz's award-winning satire, a shocking event is the catalyst for a chilling up-to-the-minute exploration of the darker side of social media.

Edgar & Annabel by Sam Holcroft
A young couple preparing dinner. It's a familiar scene, but the script they'refollowing is more than just a menu... one wrong word could blow everything apart. Could the mundane activities of married life be the perfect cover for a dangerous act of rebellion? Sam Holcroft's dystopian thriller is a gripping story of role-play and revolution, where life hangs by a thread.

Growth by Luke Norris
Tobes is young, free and having a ball… off. He's been ignoring his lump for two years but it's starting to get in the way – cramping his style and his sex life. So now there are pants to be dropped and decisions to be made... A ball-achingly funny comedy about growing up and manning up, one that's sure to tickle your fancy.

How to Date a Feminist by Samantha Ellis
Kate likes her men tall, dark and smouldering. She has a fatal attraction to bad boys. Then she meets Steve… and Steve is a feminist. Do we ever really choose who we fall for? Two actors play all the roles in Samantha Ellis’s fast-paced, brilliantly funny spin on the Hollywood rom-com.

How to Spot an Alien by Georgia Christou
An out-of-this-world adventure for anyone aged six to six hundred (aliens included). When Jelly and Jonjo's mother mysteriously disappears, the twins are taken in by their very strange aunt, and soon find themselves on a rollercoaster rocket ride through space, dodging black holes and trying to spot intergalactic beasties. A fantastic escapade for all the family, full of fun, friendship and flying saucers.

How We Begin by Elisabeth Leweren
Helen and Diana are best friends. They love being together. Spending time together. Maybe they should be more than friends? There’s just one problem:  Diana has a boyfriend. A beautiful, tender exploration of love, queerness and identity, full of joy and absolutely no (ok, maybe just a few) regrets.

Not Talking by Mike Bartlett
Two couples, two stories, things not being spoken about. James avoided taking action; can his marriage to Lucy survive? Mark failed to stop an act of sexual violence; can Amanda find a way to deal with the consequences? Is silence a weapon, or the only way to protect yourself? A powerful, healing play from one of our leading playwrights. Content advice: Not Talking contains discussion of an act of sexual violence and its aftermath.