Kat Mokrynski

'Bilal Zafar: Imposter is an hour-long story in which Zafar uses comedy to tell the audience about a wild experience he had when his housemate tried to get him arrested five separate times.'

Recently, we had the chance to talk with Rosie Sheehy about taking on the role of Helen Jones, or “The Young Woman,” in Machinal. We discussed what compelled her to join this production, what it is like being a part of a work based on the real life of a woman and what she hopes audiences take away from the piece.

As soon as Faustin takes the stage, she immediately jumps right in, creating a conversational atmosphere with the audience. She designates a table of audience members in the front row as the “rich table” and begins by talking about her experiences flying first class.

Walking into Shelf: Teenage Men, I wasn’t sure what to expect. Based on the show’s description, there would be “anecdotes, songs, jokes about performing for kids, the Instagram algorithm, confronting your toxicity, and more.” How was all of this going to fit into an hour-long show? Luckily, I had nothing to worry about.

Ghost Stories of Antiquary, a “seated site-specific show with immersive elements” directed by Nicholas Benjamin and co-devised by Benjamin, Niamh Handley-Vaughan, Nadia Lamin and Miles Blanch, takes place in Longfield Hall, a building that survived the bombings of World War II, the very rads that the characters in the show are taking shelter from.

We begin with Kaelan Trough (Doherty) gleefully repeating the word “Love,' grinning as he wanders around the stage. Kaelan and his partner, Jeremy, are having a gender reveal party for their baby. There is a black balloon hanging from the ceiling. Once popped, if the baby is a boy, blue rose petals will fall. If it’s a girl? Cooked shrimp.

Tamsyn Kelly: Crying in TK Maxx is a show about the men in Kelly’s life, starting with her father growing up and ending with a man who works in her local chicken shop. Kelly grew up on a council state, the only one with a father, ironically wishing that he would leave as he was causing nothing but pain to his family.

Recently, we had the chance to chat with Alex Young, who plays Virginia Creel, Henry Creel’s mother, in Stranger Things: The First Shadow. We discussed what it has been like being part of the stage version of a beloved television series, how it feels to be taking on a role seen on the screen and some of her favourite characters from the show!

May Contain Food May Contain You, devised and performed by Sonya Cullingford and Simon Palmer, is Protein’s “scaled-down rural touring version” of May Contain Food, which was originally devised and performed by Cullingford, Carl Harrison, Matthew Winston and Rachele Rapisardi.

'Walking into the Soho Theatre Upstairs, you are given a nametag before taking your seat. Interestingly enough, Playing Latinx has the same start as Derren Brown’s Unbelievable on the West End, with a chair on stage and a sign stating, “The show will start once someone sits on this chair.”'

Liam Withnail: Chronic Boom begins with a video, in which Withnail is recording a podcast episode with a fellow comedian. Before they can get into a conversation, however, Withnail receives a call from the hospital, telling him that he needs to go in overnight. This meant dropping everything and going, including missing a big gig on a cruise ship.

Written by Kieran Dee and Grace Millie, who also star as Ellis and Kat respectively, and directed by Harriet Marsh, Insult to Injury tells the story of two content moderators on a famous social media site and how they deal with “misinformation, technology, responsibility, power and eating other people’s sins.”

Hadestown is a show that has taken the West End by storm. Recently, we had the opportunity to talk with Melanie La Barrie, who plays Hermes. We discussed how La Barrie first got into theatre and decided to move to London, how she changed the role of Hermes by removing references to the character’s gender and why Hadestown such a special show.

Holly Spillar: HOLE is, as described by Spillar herself, “a one-woman vagina show” in which she uses only her voice and a loop pedal to tell the story of her journey with vaginismus, an involuntary tensing of the vagina that prevents penetrative sex.

Recently, I was invited to attend a special curator event at Direct from Graceland: Elvis at the Arches London Bridge. The event, hosted by Angie Marchese, Graceland’s Vice President of Archives and Exhibits, gave attendees a backstage look at some of the artifacts Marchese had brought with her from Memphis, Tennessee.

Mary O’Connell: Money Princess starts with a bang, as O’Connell emerges from behind the curtains, money guns in hand, spraying money over the audience as “Big Spender” plays. The fun only lasts for a few seconds, however, as the guns quickly run out of money and leave O’Connell standing on stage, pink guns in hand, music blaring.

Pansexual Pirate Pregnancy, a musical created by Eleanor Colville, Ro Suppa, Robbie Taylor Hunt and directed by Taylor Hunt, tells the story of Anne Bonny (Ro Suppa), an 18th-century woman who left her life on land behind to become a pirate.

Bear Snores On is a musical adaption of the children’s book by Karma Wilson and Jane Chapman, in which a group of animals are hiding from a winter storm in a sleeping bear’s den. The show, written and directed by Cush Jumbo and Katy Sechiari with music and lyrics by Harry Blake, takes audiences on a journey through Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre.

Pierre Novellie: Why Are You Laughing? has an interesting question for a name, but the reason he is asking does not actually come into play until the end of the show. Novellie has a French first name, an Italian last name, is South African and moved to the Isle of Man, but, “there’s no time to explain that.”

Priscilla the Party is based on The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert, a movie from the 90s that was adapted into a musical and has since travelled the world. But, instead of a classic musical, guests are invited into the Cockatoo Club, standing in front of the stage that is able to be taken apart and moved around the floor.