ONE NIGHT STANDS Announced At The Royal Court Theatre

The Royal Court Theatre will present One Night Stands, a series of one-off performances from familiar faces this December. Throwing open the doors to the Jerwood Theatre Upstairs, the Royal Court has invited a selection of theatre-makers, writers, singers, activists and artists to present intimate evenings in their company, each one completely different from the last. The mutually fulfilling, no strings attached one-nighters will run between 1 - 17 December.

One Night Stands will exist in its own universe, designed by Shahaf Beer. A playful take on the world of backstage and what exists behind the scenes, complete with its own green room sofa, costume department and a makeshift onstage bar.

The line up includes: experimental, anarchic theatre-makers In Bed With My Brother with a special spooky Christmas DJ set; guaranteed laughs, belter tunes and massive love with Felix Mufti; an evening of rediscovery with playwright Rabiah Hussain; Inua Ellams brings Search Party, his chaotic, audience-led poetry event; an utterly spontaneous new play from two of the UK's most hilarious improv performers Lola-Rose Maxwell and Charlie Kemp; a special edition of Yomi Ṣode's First Five podcast with DJ Zezi Ifore asking the audience to join the conversation; Rachel Bagshaw's beanbag manifesto for a more compassionate world; an elegant queer Jewish soiree from Ray Filar and Dex Chait Grodner; Siobhán McSweeney and Amalia Vitale with an early outing of something fun and lovely directed by Stephen Soba; a Christmassy chat about how the world ends with Chris Thorpe; a night of queer Joy, heartbreak, love and ideas told through poetry & beatboxing with Jade Anouka and Grace Savage; a dark winter's evening of Norwegian cosy with E.V. Crowe and friends.

Tickets are on sale now from the Royal Court's website.

One Night Stand with... In Bed With My Brother

Thursday 01 December 2022, 8pm

Award-winning, experimental, anarchic theatre-makers In Bed With My Brother (PRIME_TIME) present a one-off Christmas performance especially for The Royal Court Theatre.

A special spooky set from internationally renowned superstar DJs: the Ghost of Christmas Past b2b the Ghost of Christmas Present b2b the Ghost of Christmas Future - featuring lots of gravy, some jump scares and some sobering lessons about humanity (boo).

Comprised of Nora Alexander, Dora Lynn and Kat Cory, In Bed With My Brother makes work that is loud, chaotic, messy, angry, anarchic and silly, creating a feeling on stage that anything can and will happen. Their work features dance, comedy, tragedy and gigs in theatres. Creators of five full scale shows so far, they are also renowned for their other work from cabarets and DJ sets to digital pieces. They won the Total Theatre Award for Innovation, Experimentation and Playing with Form in 2091 and the Oxford Samuel Beckett Theatre Trust Award in 2021.

One Night Stand with... Felix Mufti

Tuesday 06 December 2022, 8pm

Performance Artist Felix Mufti joins actor and writer Jade Franks in what will be a Scouse Takeover of the Jerwood Theatre Upstairs. They present an hour of guaranteed laughs, belter tunes and massive love.

No TERFS

No TORIES

No Asking for our numbers after the show... we aren't interested x

Felix Mufti is a scouse activist, performer, writer and chaos-causer who loves to tell his frankly unhinged life stories through rhythm n' rap inspired spoken word. He is signed with The Queerhouse London and co-founded 'Transcend Theatre' where he writes and performs in authentic, usually unexplored stories of Trans experience.

One Night Stand with... Rabiah Hussain

Wednesday 07 December 2022 , 8pm

A year ago, whilst writing a play about language, Rabiah Hussain (Spun) lost her ability to communicate because of a brain tumour. As she rediscovered words, Rabiah also learnt about herself a writer. She invites audiences to hear her story in My Voice Is...?

Rabiah was selected as a writer for the Kudos TV and Royal Court Theatre Fellowship Programme 2019 and wrote on the third edition of the Royal Court Living Newspaper. Her latest play, Word-Play, was developed whilst was on attachment as part of The Royal Court Theatre and Kudos Writing Fellowship in 2019 and will be presented at the Royal Court in 2023.

One Night Stand with... Inua Ellams

Thursday 08 December 2022, 8pm (doors open for DJ set at 7.30pm)

Award-winning poet and playwright Inua Ellams (Barber Shop Chronicles, The Half-God of Rainfall) brings Search Party, his chaotic, audience-led poetry event to the Jerwood Theatre Upstairs.

Pick a word, any word. Prompted by audience suggestions, Inua Ellams will search through his extensive archive of work and perform a reactive and spontaneous selection. Each show is unique and special.

Born in Nigeria, Inua Ellams is a poet, playwright & performer, graphic artist & designer and founder of: The Midnight Run (an arts-filled, night-time, urban walking experience.), The Rhythm and Poetry Party (The R.A.P Party) which celebrates poetry & hip hop, and Poetry + Film / Hack (P+F/H) which celebrates Poetry and Film. Identity, Displacement & Destiny are reoccurring themes in his work, where he tries to mix the old with the new: traditional African oral storytelling with contemporary poetics, paint with pixel, texture with vector.

One Night Stand with... Lola-Rose Maxwell and Charlie Kemp

Friday 09 December 2022, 8pm

Lola-Rose Maxwell and Charlie Kemp will present a one-off chance to watch two of the UK's most hilarious and experienced improvisers use the audience's written suggestions as lines of dialogue and stage directions in an utterly spontaneous play.

One of the most sought-after improvisers in the UK, Lola-Rose Maxwell's online sketches with Stevie Martin have amassed over 30 million views. Actor, writer and improviser Charlie Kemp performs regularly at London's biggest improv Theatre and in Austentatious throughout the country and the West End.

One Night Stand with... Yomi Ṣode

Saturday 10 December 2022, 8pm

Award-winning writer and poet Yomi Ṣode presents a special edition of his First Five podcast with DJ Zezi Ifore.

Remember the book that changed your life? The inspirational figure that opened your eyes? The song you'll never forget? Now pick two books, two tracks and one person that define you and you've got your first five.

· A song from the first album you remember purchasing

· An excerpt from a book on the shelf you return to

· An inspirational figure that keeps you doing what you do today.

· A guilty pleasure you wouldn't dare let your friends/family know you listen to!

The First Five podcast sees Yomi Ṣode talk to producers, influencers, champions and artists, and delve into their First Five to find out who and what has influenced them. In this special, intimate edition at The Royal Court Theatre they will invite the audience on stage to share one of their 'first five'. Yomi will also explore his own First Five, as well as readings from his debut poetry collection, Manorism.

Note: Audiences will need to bring their selected book with them, and have their song/inspirational person in mind.

One Night Stand with... Rachel Bagshaw

Monday 12 December, 8pm

Director Rachel Bagshaw (Midnight Movie) invites audiences to join her to explore her beanbag manifesto and how horizontal living can make for a more compassionate world.

Rachel's work spans devising, immersive technologies and the integration of creative access. Rachel also works as a coach and facilitator with a particular exploration of spaces and adapting working practices.

One Night Stand at the Mohel Court with... Ray Filar and Dex Chait Grodner

Tuesday 13 December 2022, 8pm

You've already had the one night stand. Now here's the baby! Join our elegant queer Jewish soiree to work out... do you have the circumcision? 

Theatre-maker, community organiser, arts producer and drag cabaret artist Dex Chait Grodner, aka Chanukah Lewinsky joins forces with performance artist, writer, and theatre-maker Ray Filar, aka That Ray in this one-night-only soiree in the Jerwood Theatre Upstairs.

Dex Chait Grodner's work uses Jewish and pagan rituals to explore themes of money, biological and chosen family and the life cycle. Ray's practice, at turns confrontational and violent, then warm and funny, interrogates themes of labour, intimacy, grief, Judaism, criminalisation and the body.

One Night Stand with... Siobhán McSweeney and Amalia Vitale

Directed by Stephen Sobal

Wednesday 14 December 2022 , 8pm

Siobhán and Amalia are trapped. It's awful. But, better the devil you know.

An early outing of something fun and lovely from Siobhan McSweeney (Pity) and Amalia Vitale (Primetime), directed by Stephen Sobal (Love Sick).

One Night Stand with... Chris Thorpe

Thursday 15 December 2022, 8pm

Writer and performer Chris Thorpe (Victory Condition / The Milk of Human Kindness) invites audiences to have a lovely Christmassy chat about how the world ends.

Chris Thorpe tours in the UK and is produced worldwide. UK theatres he has written for include the Royal Court, the Royal Exchange and the Unicorn. Recent collaborators include Javaad Alipoor, BAC, HOME and Sydney Festival amongst others.

One Night Stand with... Jade Anouka and Grace Savage

Friday 16 December 2022, 8pm

Poet Jade Anouka and Grace Savage, four-time UK Beatbox Champion invite audiences to join them for a night of queer Joy as they take them on a musical and lyrical journey through heartbreak and love; an experimental mash up of ideas and songs told through poetry & beatboxing.

Independent London-based singer songwriter Grace Savage is known for her electrifying and unique live performances and can also be heard on BBC Radio 1 and BBC 6 Music. Writer, actor and poet Jade Anouka has appeared in a range of stage and screen productions and Jade's debut play Heart recently opened in New York.

One Night Stand with... E.V. Crowe and friends

Saturday 17 December 2022, 8pm

E.V. Crowe (Shoe Lady, The Sewing Group) invites audiences in to a dark winter's evening of Norwegian cosy - knitting, waffles and... some questions about cosy.

E. V. Crowe is a graduate of the Royal Court Young Writers Programme Super Group, and a writer for Film, TV, Radio and Dance. Her first play 'Kin' was nominated for the Most Promising Playwright at the Evening Standard Awards, her second Royal Court play, 'Hero' was part of the Olivier Award winning Season in the Jerwood Theatre Upstairs. Her latest play 'Shoelady' was on in Jerwood Theatre downstairs as we headed into lockdown in March 2020.