Playwright Nathaniel Brimmer-Beller Makes West End Debut With PRETTY ROUGH TERRAIN Reading

Playwright, actor, and director Nathaniel Brimmer-Beller, known for his acclaimed plays In Everglade Studio, Port City Signature, Press, Chagos 1971, and Blood Red Apples & Deep Gold Honey - as well as his performance as Albert Taft in Marvel Studios' The Fantastic Four: First Steps - will make his West End debut as a playwright with this special presentation reading of his latest play Pretty Rough Terrain.

On Friday 24th October at 2pm at The Criterion Theatre, a 45-minute extract of Pretty Rough Terrain's first act will be presented in rehearsed reading format by a cast of performers including Corinna Brown (Heartstopper, The Summer I Turned Pretty, Noughts & Crosses) as Tessa Massey, Carlotta Banat (Heads of State) as Reina Clement, James Merritt Parker (Tiger Lady) as Jacko Doredan, Conor O'Cuinn (Looking for Fun?, The War for Canada) as Guy and Horace, and Gráinne Dromgoole (The Merchant of Venice 1936) as Shira and Vivian. The reading is co-directed by Brimmer-Beller and Phoebe Rowell John.

Pretty Rough Terrain follows two women into a thrilling, Hitchcock-esque tale. Tessa Massey has a plan, involving her boyfriend Jacko, his family's considerable wealth, and a chameleonic actress from her past named Reina - though Reina's own motivations soon twist Tessa's plan out of control. What begins as a selfless, if reckless, act of charity spirals into a treacherous heist, some sharp twists of fate, and a tense, ruthless adventure through the pitfalls of greed, jealousy, desire, and performance.

The reading is on 24 October, 2025 at the Criterion Theatre.

Nathaniel Brimmer-Beller is an actor, director, and published playwright. His work has been awarded a top prize at South of the River Pictures and SISTER Global's event Screenshot at the Royal Court (The Nomineers, a monologue adaptation of Press), and awarded first prize for monologue writing at the Studio Theatre in Washington, DC (The Mission of Harper's Ferry). Nominations include George Devine Award (Blood Red Apples & Deep Gold Honey, exploring his Black and Jewish heritage, developed and showcased by Almeida Theatre); BBC Writersroom Popcorn Award for Best New Writing (In Everglade Studio); The British Blacklist's Best Theatre of 2024 (In Everglade Studio); Offie (for Port City Signature); Edinburgh International Film Festival (Evening Plans, short film).

He has directed more than 30 productions, including the UK premiere of Pulitzer-Prize-winner James Ijames' White. Performance credits include Albert Taft in Marvel Studios' The Fantastic Four: First Steps. His published plays In Everglade Studio, Port City Signature, and Press are available for purchase from Bloomsbury Publishing and Methuen Drama.