NATIONAL YOUTH THEATRE'S NAIL BAR to Return to Holloway Road in December

Following a sell-out run earlier this year as part of StoryFest, 'Well Gel' is opening its doors on the Holloway Road once again this Christmas. Back by popular demand, the immersive comedy Nail Bar, will open shop between 4th - 13th December 2026 at a disused shop on the Holloway Road, next to National Youth Theatre's HQ. 

Created by lead writer and creator Afsaneh Gray, co-writer and creator Kelly Jones, and director Natasha Haws, Nail Bar is an immersive, episodic, soap-opera-inspired comedy-drama staged in an empty retail unit.

It's a story about finding home, queer love and saving the local highstreet. Commissioned by the National Youth Theatre as part of the charity's seventieth anniversary celebrations, Nail Bar premiered in summer 2026 as part of StoryFest, NYT's new writing festival, supported by STUDIOCANAL, Urban Myth Films and the Cockayne Foundation.

Comedian Katherine Ryan, who saw Nail Bar in the summer and recently appeared in NYT's 70th anniversary celebrations at the Southbank Centre said: “Recently I went to a National Youth Theatre show that was so amazing called Nail Bar - it was so innovative to turn vacant commercial spaces into places for art and I loved that and since then I've been a real National Youth Theatre lover.”

Paul Roseby OBE, CEO & Artistic Director said: 'One in seven shops in Britain are currently empty and nearly one million young people are not in work or training. We want Nail Bar to inspire people to open up empty shops and fill them with culture, young people and hope.'

Recent stats show 1 in 7 shops currently sit empty and The Centre for Retail Research counted 17,349 store closures and over 200,000 retail redundancies in 2025 alone. Footfall across high streets and shopping centres continued to decline in December (-2.9% year on year). Nail Bar presents a bold solution to this problem - turning over these empty spaces to young people as a playground for storytelling.

Nail Bar will run at a disused shop on the Holloway Road on 4th, 5th, 8th, 9th, 10th, 11th, 12th, 13th December 2026. Timings vary, check the website for details. Tickets are now on sale -  including limited Pay What You Decide tickets 

The creative team includes Lead Writer/Creator: Afsaneh Gray. Co-Writer/Creator: Kelly Jones, Director: Natasha Haws. Designer Philippa Brocklehurst Associate Designer Hannah Schmidt Design Assistant* Oli Sobey Fight & Intimacy Director Bex Wilson Graphic Design Nick Willis Production Manager Meghan Sorohan Production Technician Simon Calahan Stage Manager Amelia Thorpe Sound Designer Pouya Ehsaei Associate Sound Designer Anna Short Lighting Designer Lucy Adams Associate Lighting Designer & Programmer Shona M'gadzah. Casting and further credits to be announced.