Pleasance London Celebrates 30 Years with Spring/Summer Season

Pleasance London is turning 30 – and after Jeremy Corbyn’s headline-grabbing cameo in the panto, the celebrations are only just beginning. Doing what it does best as a hub for bold ideas and emerging talent, Pleasance launches its anniversary year with a vibrant Spring/Summer theatre season bursting with new voices, returning favourites and the best of the Fringe on Islington’s doorstep. Bringing together artists developed through its acclaimed initiatives with a new generation of talent, the season underscores Pleasance’s enduring commitment to ambitious, risk-taking new theatre.

Kicking off the season this February is an innovative new partnership with Camden People’s Theatre for, DREAM BIG – a development takeover celebrating imaginative, risk-taking work from creatives moving from Studio to midscale, promoting the next generation of theatre makers. Continuing with the theatre’s mission to champion emerging talent is MAKE SPACE(4th Feb), an artist development evening for theatre-makers of all experiences and disciplines designed to spark connections and form creative collaborations.

Spotlighting the next wave of boundary-pushing early-career theatre is The Charlie Hartill and  UNTAPPED Winning Week (11th – 13th Feb), welcoming Niall Moorjani’s Fringe First Award winning Kanpur: 1857, the historical satire on the Indian uprising of 1857, and Pigs Fly Easy Ryan, a wild and unapologetic flight-fantasy for the end of the world. Artists can also pitch new work for Pleasance’s flagship fund at the Charlie Hartill Try Outs(23rd- 24th Feb), an unmissable opportunity for theatre makers and comedians to develop and showcase ambitious new work for Edinburgh Fringe.

To mark LGBTQIA+ History Month, Pleasance’s February season is jam-packed with queer stories and voices. On Valentine’s Day, immersive queer gig-theatre-meets-late-night-rave with CODACHROME:  a live DJ set about the time I fell in love with a [trigger warning](14th Feb) – an addictive exploration of love and healing with rhythm and movement. Returning for the Lunar New Year is the drag, cabaret talent showdown Search For The Next Dragon Boi(17th – 19th Feb), packed with sweat, sequins and spectacular showmanship. Wrapping up this dazzling month of LGBTQIA+ celebration is the return of the sizzling Magic Mike parody Magic Dyke(20th Feb). Led by Jamie Fuxx and an all-star Drag King lineup, this high-energy performance is hilarious, steamy and unapologetically horny.

There’s more queer joy this Easter, as audiences are invited to a sinful celebration of soul, sass and sequins with Brother Act: A Sister Act Cabaret(2nd Apr), a special drag homage to the iconic Sister Act!The sensational drag cabarets don’t end there as the ever-popular Big Fat Cabaret(18th Apr) makes it return to Pleasance. Hosted by Mitzi Fitz, this body-positive cabaret is a pure celebration of  being fat, fierce and fabulous.

Later in the season, Pleasance’s Associate Artists take over the Main House to showcase six major Fringe hits. Kick-starting the takeover is Project People (11th-14th Mar) featuring Smalltown Boy, a heartbreakingly joyful play about Drag Queen Edie growing up queer in a rural community, and the 5-star Fringe sell out Clean Slate, an immersive one-woman show presenting a dark comedy on domestic violence. Then Maybe You Like It bring their smash-hit double bill to London for   three-weeks (22th Apr – 9th May): Down To Chance, a thrilling, high energy story of a radio broadcaster caught in America’s biggest earthquake, and the chaotic comedy Sorry I  Broke Your Arms and Legs, a riotous and painfully funny comedy of a school election that goes wrong.  Rounding off this epic takeover of Fringe classics is Fishing 4 Chips (27th-30th May) presenting their sell-out show Burning Down the Horse, an infectiously funny comedy set inside a Trojan Horse and It’s Gonna Blow!,a historical immersive comedy set in Pompeii 79 AD, the day Mount Vesuvius blew. Plus, a further Fringe favourite, the award-winning House Party(27th-30th May) returns to Pleasance, a sharp witted and heartfelt one-women show hosting one last unmissable party amidst the housing crisis.

For absolute madness, The London 50-hour Improvathon(27th Feb – 1st Mar) by Showstopper Productions is back for the exceptional annual 50-hour improvised marathon. Wild, unpredictable and hilarious, this insane continuous performance sees a cast of top improvisers and guest stars create a live soap opera packed with twists, chaos and cherry-pie-fuelled drama.

Experience two incredible nights of new works-in-progress showcased from Pleasance supported artists in A Pleasance Scratch(8th-9th Apr). Prepare to discover the next wave of talent as bold, early-stage pieces are trailed with audience feedback. Members of Pleasance’s box office, bar and front of house teams will also have the exciting opportunity to test their new material on the main stage in A Pleasance Staff Scratch(25th Mar).

After 30 years of daring artists, bold ideas and unforgettable performances, Pleasance London celebrates its anniversary with the same spark that started it all – supporting artists to dream bigger, take creative leaps and turn ambition into reality. The celebrations are only just beginning, as Pleasance continues to shape the future of new theatre.

Ellie Simpson, Head of Theatre at Pleasance London, shares, Three decades on, Pleasance is still buzzing with the same energy that started it all – a home for imagination, collaboration and joyful nights at the theatre. This season sets the tone for a celebratory year of creativity and unmistakable Pleasance spirit, with more to come later in 2026. Here’s to the next act.

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