Actor, writer and director Paul Bradshaw returns to Park Theatre with a powerful double bill: the revival of tell me straight and the world premiere of aggy. The productions explore identity, creativity and the complexities of modern relationships.
This new staging brings together an acclaimed award‑winning debut and a bold, provocative new work, offering audiences a compelling theatrical pairing from one of London’s rising creative voices.
tell me straight and aggy run at Park Theatre from 3 March to 28 March 2026. Tickets are available here.
You’re bringing tell me straight/aggy to Park Theatre, what can you tell us about the show?
Thanks so much for having me, Theatre Weekly!
I can tell you a lot of things about both plays, so please stop me if I ramble because I want to leave something for the audiences at Park Theatre this March. Think concise thoughts, Paul, think concise thoughts…
tell me straight is funny and unapologetic. Our audiences last time compared it to some of my favourite theatre and TV, like Fleabag and Chewing Gum. aggy is an unflinching examination of identity and creativity, and to me it sits somewhere between Baby Reindeer and the Netflix film Femme.
What inspired you to bring these two plays together as a double bill, and how do they speak to each other thematically?
aggy was programmed at Park Theatre back in early 2025, and tell me straight was scheduled for a revival at the 2025 Edinburgh Fringe. Sadly, due to the eye‑watering accommodation costs, we had no choice but to pull it.
When the Park announced their Autumn season, I noticed two productions running simultaneously. I floated the idea with the programming team about a Paul Bradshaw double bill in Park90, and excitingly, terrifyingly and hilariously, they said yes!
Both one‑act plays centre on characters navigating their lives as LGBTQ+ people in London today, messily juggling careers, love and longing. Those who’ve read both have commented that they feel like cousins rather than siblings.
Each has elements of light and shade, but neither feels like a straight comedy or drama, which is exactly the type of theatre I crave as an audience member. Our vision is that they should be watched back‑to‑back, with a half‑hour break for a drink in the bar. There’s a 20% multi‑buy discount available, meaning you can see two plays for cheaper than most other shows across London.
Both pieces explore identity, relationships and creativity. How did you approach performing and co-directing work that is so personal and introspective?
The first thing I did was build a creative team to help me articulate and elevate my vision. We have a clear communication style, which means everyone knows who to reach out to when a question arises.
Having this network has been invaluable, as they’ve allowed me to shift between being a playwright, co‑producer, co‑director and actor. It’s a lot of hats to wear, but knowing I have warm and proactive collaborators means I can focus my energy wherever it’s most needed.
It’s been a fantastic process so far, and I can’t wait to share the plays with audiences at Park Theatre.
tell me straight has already enjoyed acclaimed runs. What feels new or different about revisiting it in this fresh staging at Park Theatre?
We staged both runs of tell me straight within nine months of theatres reopening post‑lockdown. That meant socially distanced audiences at the King’s Head and, due to an extremely tight budget, neither production could be ambitious from a design perspective.
With just two chairs and a coat rack we had such positive feedback from reviewers and audiences, and we even managed to snag a couple of awards!
For our Park90 run, we have a full creative team stacked with award‑winners (even a casual Olivier), and we’re working with the incredible Buck Braithwaite acting opposite myself, which will mean a fresh take on the material. I honestly can’t wait to bring tell me straight back to the stage, and we’re hoping to create as much buzz this time around.
aggy is described as a bold exploration of privilege, gender, race and art. What excited you most about introducing this brand-new work to audiences?
I wrote the first draft of aggy back in 2023 and, for several reasons it’s taken a few years to bring a production to the stage.
The huge positive about the delay is that the play has been in constant development, allowing it to become a nuanced and knotty piece that I hope will provoke and challenge audiences.
Marginalised creatives are often encouraged to draw from our own experiences to make work that feels raw and authentic. In aggy, I wanted to examine how that manifests in cross‑class, interracial relationships, and how we feel the need to mask ourselves to please and avoid upsetting people.
In the play, this is exacerbated by how the characters perform their identities online, blurring the lines between social media and reality.
From a technical perspective, our video designer Matt Powell has been instrumental in how this manifests on stage. Their passion, insight and flair have created an impactful design that gives the production an unsettling, almost dystopian dynamism.
What would you say to anyone thinking of booking to see tell me straight/aggy?
Do it…
In all seriousness, it’s not very often a benefit‑class artist like myself gets to see their work mounted at this scale. We’re throwing everything we’ve got into both plays, and I’d love to pack the theatre with receptive, supportive audiences.
If you fancy a night out being entertained, challenged and inspired, then get your tickets booked for tell me straight and aggy.
I’ll see you at the Park!
