SE Festival is Back for 2025.

SE Fest is back!

SE Fest is a theatre festival based in southeast London to promote and celebrate new writing. It is hosted for the second year by two neighbouring venues, The Jack Studio in Crofton Park and The Bridge House Theatre in Penge, two award-winning theatres with a reputation for supporting and presenting new work.

SE Fest 2025 runs from Tuesday 2^nd – Saturday 13^th September 2025.

This festival brings some of the most exciting new theatre south of the river!

From intense family dramas to queer love stories, these shows encompass lived experience, explore the conflict between thought and reality, and what it is to find your way in the world.

It Never Rains by Wendy Fisher

directed by Ralph Bogard

Funny, Moving, Honest

Three generations. Countless secrets. One world in crisis. It Never Rains is a tender, unflinching piece of new writing.

When the marriages of Sarah’s daughter and granddaughter fall apart, she shares her home and more truths than she ever intended. As rising tides threaten their family home, three women are forced to confront buried histories, fragile bonds, and the legacy they’ll leave behind.

Blending evocative storytelling, sharp humour, and haunting imagery, It Never Rains navigates the intersections of family, memory, and climate change. This intimate, intergenerational tale asks: what do we hold on to when the world around us is slipping away?

Cast

Tuesday 2 – Wednesday 3 September @ 7.30pm at the Jack Studio
Thursday 5 September @ 7.30pm at the Bridge House Theatre
Suitable 12+

Booking here

Eat. Sleep. Ruminate. Repeat by Jaylie Wayling

directed by Karol Olszewski

Chaotic. Silly. Honest

How can our thoughts be SO painfully ridiculous, yet we convince ourselves they’re facts?

You can create evidence out of nothing. Convince yourself you’re the worst person on earth. Trap yourself in an endless loop of “OMG I shouldn’t have said that,” “why am I so awkward?!”

Jaylie is a boss-level overthinker. Her thoughts are like a word vomit of worry. Inside her head, she sees Jaylie 2.0, the version of herself she wishes to be. To Jaylie’s frustration, it appears Jaylie 2.0 just gets life, is a free and unphased soul. Together, they unravel the nonsense and hilarity of her brain. Will she EVER stop overthinking?

Cast: Jaylie Wayling and Roisin Kernan

Thursday 4th September @ 7.30pm, Jack Studio Theatre
Tuesday 2nd & Wednesday 3rd @ 7.30pm, Bridge House Theatre
Suitable 14+

Booking here

Vernon by Gary Bates

directed by Tash Marks

Funny, Tragic, Moving

‘What’s it like? Being dead?’
‘It’s like having a good long sleep, and happy dreams’
‘Doesn’t sound that bad’ she said

Vernon deals in death every day. For him it’s nothing to fear. This is just another funeral.

As he reflects on his job, and how that has informed his attitude to death, Vernon insists he can cope. He’s in control. But gradually he begins to face his demons – how past choices, mistakes and missed opportunities have impacted his life, his ambitions, and his relationships with those he loves.

And we begin to understand the devastating truth as to why Vernon is here.

This one-man play from Writer/Actor Gary Bates and Director Tash Marks moves from humour to tragedy, exploring themes of love, loss, regret, the challenges of parenting, and the mental pressures on young people.

Cast: Gary Bates

Friday 5th September @ 7.30pm, Jack Studio Theatre
Saturday 6th September @ 3.00pm and 7.30pm, Bridge House Theatre
Suitable 14+

Booking here

Post Grad by Kadijah Hayden

Funny, Whimsical, Moving

Graduation for many is a rite of passage, a right to freedom, the end of a long hard journey of academia, crumbling debt and numerous study sessions. However once you are handed your diploma the world is your oyster. Apparently.

But no one tells you how to operate this new scary and treacherous journey.

For fresh new drama school graduate Assata the life of stage, theatre, film and cameras she envisioned post graduation don’t seem to be shaping in the way she pictured. The dreams and goals she wanted to achieve feel very out of reach.

Can she really make it? Follow her journey as she tries to figure it out. One day at a time….

Cast: Dijah Hayden-Assata

Saturday 6th September @ 3.00pm & 7.30 pm, Jack Studio Theatre
Friday 5th September @ 7.30pm, Bridge House Theatre
Suitable 14+

Booking here

How to Date by Stephanie McNeil
directed by Isabel Steuble-Johnson

Relatable, Capturing, Comical

How To Date is a dark comedy by Stephanie McNeil exploring naivety and vulnerabilities faced by young women in London.

Clarissa, an independent girl from North London meets Emily, a spoiled girl from Cheltenham, who dreams of being a film star. Eagerly searching for partners, they face the realities of the disastrous dating scene in London.

A spiral of events soon escalates, there’s career pressures, new relationships and mental health struggles to accompany their friendship. When difficult events from the past arise, we learn of the importance of friendship and opening up to others. The story is inspired by Stephanie’s own experiences growing up and aims to raise awareness for other young women.

Written by Stephanie McNeil
Directed by Isabel Steuble-Johnson
Designed by Isabella Sarmiento Abadia
Lighting Designer: Melody Mengyun
Sound Designer: Emeka Diamond
Choreographer: Isabel Steuble-Johnson

Cast
Emily – Stephanie McNeil
Clarissa – Helin Ekin
Henry and Bar Manager – Danny Jeffs
Rushane and Max – Seyi Ogunniyi

Tuesday 9th – Wednesday 10th September @ 7.30 pm, Jack Studio Theatre
Thursday 10th @ 7.30pm, Bridge House Theatre
Suitable: 18+

Booking here

Spin Cycle by Zofia Zerphy
directed by Bethan Rose
presented by Berserk Theatre

Queer Love Story

Kitt can be a bit of a bitch sometimes. Noel can be an asshole.

Noel and Kitt lock eyes in the neon glow of a launderette, a queer feeling washing over them – they’re strangers, maybe, but something feels too familiar.

Spin Cycle is a queer story about the space between loving someone and not, forgetting and remembering, dirty and clean clothes. It is a bittersweet, absurdist piece that delves into a complex relationship and explores how love can affect someone, even when they can’t remember how… or when… or why.

Spin Cycle is a new play by Berserk Theatre, following An Average Family ★★★★ and How to Urn a Living ★★★★

“Fresh and Clever… Immediately Engaging” Jodie Adams (Senior Underbelly Programmer)

Cast
Kitt – Zofia Zerphy
Noel – Rhiannon Bell

Friday 12th September @ 7.30pm, Jack Studio Theatre
Saturday 13th September @ 3.00pm & 7.30pm, Bridge House Theatre
Suitable 12+

Booking here

ALPHABET RAINBOW – a Fistful of Queer Plays
written and directed by Nick Myles

“Funny, heartwarming, shocking…” Brighton & Hove News

The Brighton Fringe Festival hit comes to London!

Unexpected, Gripping, True

Fresh from an acclaimed run in Brighton, writer/director Nick Myles presents his latest show: a typically varied and surprising collection of five short plays exploring queer lives today.

It’s not about labels or choosing a letter to identify yourself with. Alphabet Rainbow is simply five slices of exceptional theatrical storytelling. There are laughs, high drama, politics, families of varying shapes, and relationships of all different shades.

Here you’ll meet characters including an unexpected twink, a principled lesbian and a grumpy bi guy, brought to life by a cast of superb actors in perfectly formed plays covering subjects from illicit sex to first love, the trauma of betrayal and the joy of hope.

“Stellar… beautifully crafted and performed. Queer theatre at its absolute best.” ★★★★★ Voice Mag
“Incredibly well-honed scripts… It works on so many levels.” Brighton & Hove News
“Excellent!!!” Nigel May, Brighton Gaydio

Cast
Jay & Jamie – Evan Emanuel
Neil & Cole – Neil James
Lisa – Terry Diab
Sam – Matthew Hodson

Saturday 13^th September @ 3.00pm & 7.30pm, Jack Studio Theatre
Friday 12^th @ 7.30pm, Bridge House Theatre
Suitable 14+

Booking here

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SE Festival is Back for 2025.