BOO! to Open at Theatre503 January 2027 with Waleed Akhtar

Theatre503 and Theatre Royal Plymouth have announced Waleed Akhtar (writer and actor of Olivier Award-winning The P Word, Bush Theatre) in the cast of BOO! alongside its playwright Alistair Hall. The first collaboration between Theatre503 and Theatre Royal Plymouth, BOO! follows the critically acclaimed production of Alistair's show Buggers at the 2026 Edinburgh Festival Fringe.

Directed by Júlia Levai (The Waves, Jermyn Street Theatre), the production's creative team includes Tomás Palmer as Set and Costume Designer (A Midsummer Night's Dream, Regent's Park Open Air Theatre), Lucía Sánchez Roldán as Lighting Designer (Jane Eyre, UK Tour), Tingying Dong as Sound Designer (1536, West End), Gabriella Shimeld-Fenn as Casting Director (Firebird, Southwark Playhouse), Ken Nakajima as Movement Director (Scenes from a Repatriation, Royal Court) and Raniah Al-Sayed as Intimacy Director (Deep Azure, Shakespeare's Globe). Full Biographies can be found here.

BILL: Are you angry?

TONY: No, I'm dead.

Bill is hoping for a reset after Tony. Retreating to his mum's flat by the sea, he searches for a way to move on. Ice Cream. Karaoke. Ketamine. Nothing works. Until a connection with a local barman kickstarts a series of mysterious encounters that will alter the course of Bill's life forever.

BOO! is a haunting and tender play that asks what it means to hold on when letting go might be the only way to survive.

A London-based actor and writer from the South West of England, Alistair Hall was selected for BBC Voices in 2024 and Channel 4's 4Screenwriting Mentorship Scheme in 2026. His play Buggers had a sell-out run at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, receiving five-star reviews from The Guardian, The Times, and The Scotsman. His acting credits include Buggers (Pleasance, Edinburgh Fringe), Family Tree (Actors Touring Company), Crescent Cell, Sickle Moon (Tamasha Theatre), Safe (Norwich Theatre Royal), Camille (AIDS Plays Project) and his own one-man show Declan (Underbelly, Camden People's Theatre).

Alistair Hall, writer of BOO!: 'To have my work programmed by Theatre503 is a massive breakthrough for me. The time I've spent developing the play with the team has been incredibly inspiring and informative. There aren't many organisations like Theatre503 anymore and their commitment to bringing emerging writers to light is beyond impressive. I'm so grateful for their belief in BOO!. As an artist originally from the South West, having my work programmed by Theatre Royal Plymouth is a big step forward - especially as BOO! is set in the region. Over the past few years, I've developed a relationship with the team at Theatre Royal Plymouth. Having BOO! at The Drum, an iconic touring spot for new writing, feels like a real celebration.'

Anthony Simpson-Pike, Co-CEO & Artistic Director of Theatre503 'Reading BOO! for the first time it was clear that Alistair was a writer who wasn't afraid to swing big and be bold. His later work in Buggers is testament to this. This is a story about love in all its grittiness; it's moving, it's funny and it is inventive. Exactly the kind of work you can expect from Theatre503.'

Liz King, Deputy CEO, Producing and Programming: 'We are thrilled to be co-producing Boo! with Theatre503 and championing Alistair Hall's remarkable new play all about navigating grief, told with compassion, passion and humour. We are proud to be working alongside Theatre503 to bring this distinctive and deeply human story to audiences, and to continue supporting outstanding new voices in contemporary theatre.'

THEATRE503

Theatre503 is The National Theatre of debut plays and the artists who bring their words to life. We play a vital role in the theatre ecology by helping diverse new voices reach the first rung on the artistic career ladder. We are experts in developing, launching and transforming the next generation of leading writers across stage and screen.

We have nurtured modern classics such as The Mountaintop by Katori Hall and Rotterdam by Jon Brittain – both Olivier Award winners – and classics in the making like Yasmin Joseph's J'Ouvert, winner of the 2020 James Tait Black Prize, and Ross Willis' Wolfie, winner of the 2020 Writers Guild Award for Best New Play. Theatre503 alumni include Katori Hall, Dennis Kelly, Duncan MacMillan, Alice Birch and Vinay Patel, amongst many others.

THEATRE ROYAL PLYMOUTH

Theatre Royal Plymouth (TRP) is a registered charity and the largest regional producing theatre in the UK. Throughout 2025-26, TRP welcomed 371,000 audience members through its doors, an 18% increase on the previous year. As a cultural cornerstone of the South West, TRP presents a dynamic mix of world-class touring productions in its largest venue, The Lyric, while its more intimate and experimental spaces, The Drum and The Lab, host bold new work, community led performances and TRP's Artist Development Programme. TR2, Theatre Royal's Production and Learning Centre, is an award-winning production house that combines internationally regarded scenic design and construction projects with state-of-the-art rehearsal studios.

Most recently, TRP produced and premiered a new production of FAME The Musical which received 4 star reviews from The Guardian, The Times, Mail on Sunday and The Stage, among others, and Badgers (in association with Bristol Old Vic) which played to sell-out Fringe audiences. Other TRP co-productions include The Artist (with The McOnie Company), The Devil Wears Prada (with Kevin McCollum/Alchemation, Rocket Entertainment/David Furnish and Jamie Wilson) and The Creakers (with IMpossible Producing and Smith & Brant Theatricals).

TRP provides a Creative Communities programme across the region for over 30,000 young people and adults a year, and is deeply invested in nurturing the next generation of theatre-makers. Its Artist Development programme supports first-time theatre makers and artists at every stage of their careers, offering workshops, networking and mentorship.

Alistair Hall (Writer/Bill)

Alistair Hall is a writer and actor. His play Buggers had a sell-out run at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe in 2026, receiving five-star reviews from The Guardian, The Times, and The Scotsman. Previously, he performed his solo show Declan - a thriller set in rural Wiltshire - at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe in 2023. It was originally presented online during lockdown and was featured on The Guardian's 'Best Online Theatre'. Alistair was selected for BBC Voices in 2024 and Channel 4's 4Screenwriting Mentorship Scheme in 2026.

As an actor, Alistair's credits include Buggers (Pleasance, Edinburgh Fringe), Family Tree (Actors Touring Company), Crescent Cell, Sickle Moon (Tamasha Theatre), Safe (Norwich Theatre Royal), Camille (AIDS Plays Project) and Declan (Underbelly, Camden People's Theatre). He trained at RADA.

JÚLIA LEVAI (Director)

Júlia Levai is a theatre director and dramaturg from Budapest based in London. Her work combines British theatre practices with a European theatrical sensibility. She most recently directed the critically acclaimed production of Flora Wilson Brown's radical adaptation of The Waves by Virginia Woolf at Jermyn Street Theatre. She previously directed the premiere of Nancy Netherwood's new play Radiant Boy at Southwark Playhouse and Petty Men, a new play inspired by Shakespeare's Julius Caesar which won a European Prize and toured across Europe in 2026. Júlia regularly works at The National Theatre as Staff Director (Land of the Living, Coriolanus, Dear Octopus), Script Reader and Mentor Director for NT Connections. In 2024, she trained on the NT Studio's Directors Course. She has worked as Assistant/Associate Director at theatres such as the RSC, Royal Court, and the Young Vic. Júlia is an MGCFutures bursary recipient and was Director in Residence at The National Theatre in Belgrade supported by the European Theatre Convention. She is a script reader for the NT Studio, Women's Prize for Playwriting, Bruntwood Prize and for the Papatango Prize.

Waleed Akhtar (Tony)

Waleed Akhtar is a writer and performer based in London, best known for his Olivier Award-winning play The P Word, which he wrote and starred in.

Awards include: Olivier Award for Outstanding Achievement in an Affiliate Theatre, The P Word (Winner); Off West End Award for Most Promising Playwright (Winner)

Theatre includes: The P Word (Bush Theatre), AI (Young Vic), Flight (Bridge Theatre), A Thousand Splendid Suns (Birmingham REP & tour).

Film & TV includes: The Great, Series 1–2 (Channel 4/Hulu), Only Murders in the Building (Disney), Cruella (Disney Pictures), The Roads Not Taken (Adventure Pictures), Salmon Fishing in the Yemen (Kudos Film).