CORNERSHOP CHRONICLES Will Come to Peckham Fringe in May

Cornershop Chronicles will come to Peckham Fringe in May. A corner shop. Four walls. One community. Everything that makes London, London.

Cornershop Chronicles is a bold, funny, and bracingly honest new play set entirely within a local shop at the heart of its neighbourhood—a place where strangers cross paths, unload, and quietly collide.

Expect relatable stories from all walks of life: the struggles of local businesses, the push and pull of relationships, nosy strangers, life decisions, and the everyday dramas that connect us all more than we realise. Through laughter and uncomfortable truths, the play shines a light on what it means to belong somewhere—and what happens when that somewhere starts to disappear.

At its heart, Cornershop Chronicles is about social change—how gentrification impacts not just local businesses, but the entire fabric of a community. Writer and director Sinead Geral draws on lived experience, watching places like Elephant & Castle transform beyond recognition: neighbourhoods she knew as a child, promised regeneration that led to evictions and people being priced out.

“I wanted to create characters that people have seen in everyday life or personally experienced—but most of all, I wanted to write a show about social change and how gentrification affects the community as a whole,” she says.

Brought to Peckham Fringe—a space that champions bold, politically engaged storytelling—the play reaches audiences who know these streets, these changes, and these conversations firsthand.

Funny, sharp, and deeply felt, Cornershop Chronicles is essential viewing for anyone who has ever called London home.

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