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Bear with me: Sun Bear @ParkTheatre

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If The Light House is an uplifting tale of survival, Sarah Richardson’s Sun Bear gives a contrasting take on this. Sarah plays Katy. We’re introduced to Katy as she runs through a list of pet office peeves with her endlessly perky coworkers, particularly about coworkers stealing her pens. It’s a hilarious opening monologue that would have you wishing you had her as a coworker to help relieve you from the boredom of petty office politics.  But something is not quite right in the perfect petty office, where people work together well. And that is her. And despite her protesting that she is fine, the pet peeves and the outbursts are becoming more frequent. As the piece progresses, maybe the problem lies in a past relationship, where Katy had to be home by a particular hour, not stay out late with office colleagues and not be drunk enough not to answer his calls. Perhaps the perky office colleagues are trying to help, and perhaps Katy is trying to reach out for help. It has simple staging

Online and lifelines during lockdown...

As life in London remains in a suspended state, theatres are moving online... and requesting some lifelines. Here are a few so far:

Finborough Theatre

The Finborough Theatre is updating its archive of shows over the years. And you can donate online to help keep the theatre open.

There is also Continuity, a gripping monologue about a man with a bomb, last seen in 2017 and now available to watch online.

Jermyn Street Theatre

The Jermyn Street Theatre has launched an emergency fund to keep it running. And they just recently had a burst water pipe to deal with.

Check out their twitter feed for performances as well.

Omnibus Theatre

Clapham's Omnibus Theatre Online launched with a performance of Our Day's coming-of-age comedy-drama DEM TIMES. Recorded live at King's Place for London Podcast Festival 2019. There is also a section on the website for donations.

Battersea Arts Centre

Battersea Arts Centre's groundbreaking film, Performance Live: The Way Out, is on BBC iPlayer as part of BBC Arts' Culture in Quarantine season.

Filmed in one, continuous shot, it offers an immersive journey through Battersea Arts Centre's labyrinth of rooms and corridors, propelled by performances from extraordinary artists, filmed in one continuous, unbroken shot. The film is on BBC iPlayer and will be broadcast on BBC Four in May.

High Tide Theatre

High Tide is a theatre company and charity based in East Anglia that has a history of launching the careers of emerging British playwrights.

On their YouTube channel, they have launched a series called Love In The Time of Corona. Two monologues capturing modern life in these pandemic times are available now and will be available for four weeks from release.




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