Finsbury Park, London | March to July 2027
New writing fans, take note. Park Theatre in Finsbury Park has announced three premieres for its 2027 Park90 season, running from 2 March to 10 July 2027. Led by Artistic Director Jez Bond and Executive Director Catherine McKinney, the season brings together Birdcatcher, Let the Whale Die and The Gentleman of Wimbledon, three very different plays that all put bold new voices centre stage. Here is what you need to know.
1. Birdcatcher opens the season (2 – 27 March 2027)
The season kicks off with the London premiere of Birdcatcher, a coming-of-age story about finding your voice inside an apocalyptic high-control group. It is written by Papatango Prize-winning playwright Laura Waldren, whose previous work includes Some Demon, and directed by Pentabus’s BAFTA-winning Artistic Director Elle While. Lucy Mangan stars, in a production described as funny, dark and sharply observed. The play explores how hard it is to imagine a future when everyone around you believes there isn’t one. It is a Pentabus production in association with Papatango Theatre Company, Middle Child Theatre and Park Theatre.
2. Let the Whale Die makes waves in May (4 – 15 May 2027)
Next comes the world premiere of Meg Schadler’s darkly funny and provocative Let the Whale Die. Its central character, Girl, had one job: to keep the aquarium’s star orca alive. Now the orca is dead, and her mother, husband, boss and the wider world all want to know why. Girl, however, has no intention of explaining herself, and what looks like a crisis to everyone else starts to feel like a new beginning. Directed by New Perspectives’ Artistic Director and CEO Angharad Jones, it is presented by New Perspectives and Royal & Derngate, Northampton in association with Park Theatre.
3. The Gentleman of Wimbledon serves up a true story (16 June – 10 July 2027)
The season closes with the world premiere of The Gentleman of Wimbledon, based on an extraordinary true story. In 1930s Berlin, Baron Gottfried von Cramm is an aristocrat, international tennis sensation and one of Germany’s most celebrated sporting heroes. Away from the court, he lives in a very different world of queer love, pleasure and freedom in Weimar Berlin. As Germany descends into fascism, his fame offers increasingly precarious protection, and he faces impossible choices between love, loyalty and survival. Written by New York-based playwright Oliver Lehne and directed by award-winning Matthew Iliffe (Bacon), it will be staged in the round.
4. A season about finding the courage to choose
Although the three plays differ hugely in subject and style, they share a common thread. Each one follows individuals confronting the world around them and finding the courage to make their own choices. Artistic Director Jez Bond said, “Park90 has always been a space for bold ideas, new voices and stories that challenge expectations.” He added that the theatre is “delighted to be collaborating with such an exciting range of writers, directors and producing partners, and to continue championing ambitious new writing on our intimate Park90 stage.” It all adds up to a season that rewards adventurous theatregoers who like to discover new work first.
5. Park Theatre has a strong track record with new work
Park Theatre has two performance spaces: Park200 for predominantly larger-scale productions by established talent, and Park90, a flexible studio space for emerging artists. In thirteen years it has enjoyed 10 West End transfers, including Rose starring Maureen Lipman and The Boys in the Band starring Mark Gatiss. It has also notched up two National Theatre transfers, 14 national tours and seven Olivier Award nominations. The theatre has won multiple OffWestEnd Offie Awards and a Theatre of the Year award from The Stage. Seeing a play in Park90 now could well mean catching the next big hit before everyone else does.
Tickets and info
Park90 2027 Season
Park Theatre, Finsbury Park, London
Birdcatcher: 2 – 27 March 2027
Let the Whale Die: 4 – 15 May 2027
The Gentleman of Wimbledon: 16 June – 10 July 2027