The Pleasance Theatre has announced its thrilling new autumn/winter 2025 season, promising a dynamic mix of returning favourites, daring new writing, and genre-defying performances.
Opening the season is Mistero Buffo by Rhum + Clay, a darkly comic masterpiece by Dario Fo. Originally banned for blasphemy, this virtuosic one-man show skewers the absurdities of power and belief. Julian Spooner reprises his award-winning performance, which earned him The Stage Award for Best Performance.
For the festive season, Wicked Witches – A Popular Panto! brings a family-friendly twist to Oz, where Dorothy returns to a snow-covered Borough of Oz-lington. Written and directed by ShayShay, this glittering production is packed with drag sparkle, toe-tapping tunes, and magical mayhem.
An adults-only version, Wicked Witches – A Popular Panto for Adults!, promises a wickedly naughty night of diva drama and glittery rivalry.
Halloween at Pleasance transforms the venue into a queer, horror-fuelled playground. Highlights include The Simple Life and Death, directed by Fizz Sinclair and ShayShay, where a killer stalks a noughties farm.
TRANS-sylvania! features trans cabaret stars conjuring circus, horror tributes, and Halloween tropes like never before.
In Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Once More W/ EVEN MORE Feeling!, drag clowns Crayola the Queen and Crusty hilariously reimagine the cult musical episode.
Also on the bill is SUCKER 4 U, a surreal love story between a man and a giant interdimensional squid.
The season continues with Kanpur: 1857, a satirical new play by Niall Moorjani and Jonathan Oldfield, fresh from the Edinburgh Fringe. It explores colonial violence, gender, and the role of art in crisis.
Poet Luke Wright returns with Pub Grub, a lyrical ode to small-town pubs and everyday life.
Voloz Collective presents Redacted: The cover-up of a cover-up of a cover-up, a genre-smashing physical theatre piece chronicling a 30-year manhunt through corruption and chaos.
Ellie Simpson, Head of Theatre London at Pleasance Theatre Trust, said:
“This season marks my first full programme – the beginning of an exciting next chapter in Pleasance’s year-round work in the capital. We’re bringing together returning favourites and original new voices, building on our reputation for championing daring, distinctive artists.”
Anthony Alderson, Director of Pleasance Theatre Trust, added:
“As we approach 30 years of the Pleasance in London, we’re reminded that great things often begin against the odds. This season is bold, playful, political and proudly theatrical – a statement about the kind of work Pleasance London is platforming now.”
Listings and ticket information can be found here.
