Sunspots and Deluge, two new plays by emerging playwrights Fiona Doyle and David Lewis, will be staged at the Hampstead Downstairs this spring.
The first, Doyle’s award-winning provocative thriller Deluge, will play from 16 April to 16 May at the venue.
Directed by Anna Ledwich, who took the helm of Olivier Award nominated hit Four Minutes Twelve Seconds at the Hampstead Downstairs in 2014, the production tells the story of a furtive presence on Joe and Kitty’s farm.
Set in a blighted landscape where nature is fiercely taking its course, Deluge follows the mystery behind the disappearance of precious feed and the slaughter of prized livestock as the duo, like their desperate neighbours, stop at nothing to protect themselves and their cherished land.
Written by Coolatully playwright Doyle, the Eamon Keane Full-length Play Award-winning piece will be followed into Hampstead Downstairs by Lewis’ offbeat romantic comedy Sunspots.
The production, which is directed by former Associate Director of the Bush Theatre, Charlotte Gwinner (Our New Girl, Bush Theatre), will play from 21 May to 20 June.
Providing an unusual twist on the traditional boy-meets-girl story, Sunspots follows Tom as he moves back home and rediscovers his father’s telescope and his childhood passion for stargazing. Between studying constellations, a beautiful girl sunbathing on a neighbouring rooftop catches his eye and using maximum magnification he notices a funny-looking mole on her back.
Lewis’ previous plays include Bad Faith, Misconceptions, How To Be Happy and Seven Year Twitch, all of which premiered at the Orange Tree Theatre.
The Hampstead Downstairs’ latest offerings will run alongside Michael Frayn’s Matchbox Theatre in the Hampstead Theatre’s main space from 25 April to 6 June.