Acclaimed directors Bijan Sheibani and Simon Evans will take the helm of new plays Giving and Alligators when they run at the Hampstead Theatre Downstairs this summer.
Giving, a new play from Hannah Patterson, puts philanthropy under the spotlight from 12 May to 11 June. The drama, directed by Emil And The Detectives director Sheibani, follows businesswoman and philanthropist Mary, and the journalist hired to write a profile about her. As Laura, the journalist, digs deeper, the power wielded by Mary’s ‘Charitable Giving Advisor’ seems extraordinary, while his motives may not be entirely pure. Does that matter if the outcome is positive?
New thriller Alligators, by The Falling Leaves’ Andrew Keatley, follows from 17 June to 16 July, directed by Bug and The Dazzle’s Evans. It tells of teacher Daniel, whose world is threatened when allegations surface from six years earlier. Can all the good he’s done be wiped out by one pointed finger? And how can his loved ones doubt his innocence?
Giving and Alligators are the latest new plays to open at the nurturing Hampstead Theatre Downstairs, which does not hold official press nights, taking the pressure of critical eyes off new work. This support system has paid dividends in the past months, with The Wasp, Four Minutes Twelve Seconds and Firebird all transferring to the West End’s Trafalgar Studios 2.