James Acaster and Edinburgh Previews Revealed as Part of the Park Laughs Series

Park Theatre has announced a programme of fully developed shows, works in progress and Edinburgh Fringe previews as part of their Park Laughs series this summer, with appearances from more than 30 comedians including four dates from James Acaster.

James Acaster is known for his record breaking five consecutive nominations for Best Comedy Show at the Edinburgh Fringe, is the first UK comic to shoot more than one Netflix Original special, and also known for his books and podcasts. He'll be trying out new ideas for an hour in July (16 & 17) and August (24 & 31).

In June, a quartet of comedians will also be road-testing new work. Anna Hale: Control Freak introduces a socially anxious extrovert and a perfectionist with sixty minutes to solve all her problems, while Pedro Leandro: Soft Animal invites his audience to reflect: will it, can it, ever be enough? (20 Jun). The following night (21 Jun) features Cabbage The Clown: Cinemadrome, one-part breathless parody of cinematic history, one-part thoughtful dissection of minimum wage careers, one-part rolling around on the floor covered in popcorn, and Bebe Cave: CHRISTBRIDE, a wild historical farce about what happens when you believe in yourself a little too much.

In two further nights of work in progress, double bills are presented by Eric Rushton and Hasan Al-Habib (29 June) ahead of their Edinburgh Fringe runs, and Sharon Wanjohi and Marty Gleeson (4 July). Eric Rushton: Inkeeper is paired with Hasan Al-Habib: Death To The West (Midlands), a love letter to his Iraqi heritage and Birmingham upbringing. Queer British Kenyan comedian Sharon Wanjohi tackles the lack of Gen-Z homeowners and cartoons that inspired a generation of sexual awakenings, whilst Irish comedian Marty Gleeson is renowned for her offbeat, captivating, and whimsical performance style.

In the week before the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, Park Laughs will be presenting a series of Avalon Edinburgh Previews (21 – 26 Jul) with double bills of comedians in the intimate Park90 just ahead of their Scottish runs: Matt Forde and Joe Kent-Walters, Glenn Moore and Johnny White Really-Really, Chloe Petts and Pierre Novellie, Sophie Duker and Bella Hull, Rob Auton, Andrew Doherty, and two more to be announced. Earlier in the month Sorry I Hurt Your Son (Said My Ex To My Mum) (12 July) is the Fringe preview from trailblazing comedian James Barr

One-off performances of developed shows include Chris Grace: Sardines (20 Jul), asking ‘can we enjoy life if we know how it ends?' and ‘does making art actually help?', and Cally Beaton: Namaste Motherf*ckers (27 Jul) is a celebration of and for the female of the species. Invisible no more.

Park Laughs Live returns on 11 July, featuring hilarious household names alongside the most exciting rising stars in stand-up. This edition includes Pierre Novellie, Catherine Bohart, Celya AB and Sophie Garrad.

For younger audiences, Comedy Club 4 Kids continues to run monthly on a Sunday, offering family-friendly comedy without any patronising idiocy. Since 2005, the Comedy Club 4 Kids has been getting the best stand-ups, sketch acts and cabaret stars from the international circuit to do their thing for an audience of children (aged 6+) and their families… but without the rude bits.

Park Theatre presents exceptional theatre in the heart of Finsbury Park, boasting two world-class performance spaces: Park200 for predominantly larger scale productions by established talent, and Park90, a flexible studio space, for emerging artists. In twelve years, it has enjoyed 10 West End transfers (including Rose starring Maureen Lipman, The Boys in the Band starring Mark Gatiss, Pressure starring David Haig and The Life I Lead starring Miles Jupp), two National Theatre transfers, 14 national tours, seven Olivier Award nominations, has won multiple OffWestEnd Offie Awards, and a Theatre of the Year award from The Stage as well as their inaugural Campaign of the Year award in 2025 for their work reaching underserved audiences with Canadian/ Korean comedy drama Kim's Convenience.

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