David Farnor | On 27, Jan 2022

Soho Theatre is stepping up its streaming game this February, with the launch of its first ever Soho Theatre On Demand Film Festival.

The film will combine acclaimed plays of recent years and new work, each (re)imagined for the screen. The films will be available for an exclusive window of 10 days, kicking on Friday 4th February and running for five weeks.

First up is the world premiere of HEDDA (after Ibsen) performed by iconic avant-gardist David Hoyle, created and directed by Jen Heyes and set in a Lynchesque inspired world of obsession and dark psychological unrest which will go live on Friday 4th February. That will be followed by Natasha Marshall’s critically acclaimed one woman show Half Breed, brought back to life for the screen. Next comes the debut play by Cassiopeia Berkeley-Agyepong and Simone Ibbett-Brown, Shuck‘n’Jive, directed by Soho Theatre Associate Director Lakesha Arie-Angelo, a sharp satire with music, laughter and searing honesty. The penultimate film is Mum, Oliver Award-winning writer Morgan Lloyd Malcolm’s unflinching portrayal of early motherhood from the acclaimed Producers of Fleabag and Baby Reindeer. The final film of the festival is Ifeyinwa Frederick’s Sessions, a deep dive into the complexities of masculinity, depression and therapy, which premiered at Soho Theatre in November 2021.

The festival comes on the back of the success of Soho Theatre On Demand, the theatre’s digital platform, which was launched in 2017. During the theatre’s temporary closure, it hosted the live recording of Fleabag and released the critically acclaimed Typical and Sunrise. Soho Theatre has also partnered Amazon Prime Video UK for a three-series deal, bringing existing and new comedy shows to the platform from 2000 through to 2022.

The titles are all available to watch at stream.sohotheatre.com. Here’s the full release schedule:

Hedda – 4th to 13th February

CutToTheChase productions in association with Soho Theatre and The Arts Centre, Edge Hill University present HEDDA (after Ibsen, performed by David Hoyle and created and directed by Jen Heyes.

Hedda is beautiful, aristocratic, and intelligent, loaded with social grace and a steely, clear, dispassionate charisma. Life really isn’t good enough for Hedda. Like any of us, in life there are moments when we feel that this frustrating business of existence — as lived on our darkest days — really isn’t good enough for us either. Set in a Lynchesque inspired world of dream imagery, drama, bespoke sound design, music and chanteuse style singing; the iconic avant-garde performer David Hoyle is HEDDA in this one-person, cinematic theatre reimagining created and directed by Jen Heyes, of Henrik Ibsen’s Hedda Gabler, with original composition by Tom Parkinson. HEDDA (after Ibsen) moves past the obvious to create access points for everyone by not reducing to our binary traditions.

Shot on location at Soho Theatre, HEDDA (after Ibsen) is a story of many faces, the absolute power of manipulation, influence, the control of obsession and dark psychological unrest. it’s a 21st century unpicking of Ibsen’s original text from inside the hinterland of Hedda’s imagination. Unkind and self-serving to the point of thinking nothing of crushing the hopes of others and bored with all life has to offer. We first encounter this flawed femme fatal the morning after they return from a 6-month honeymoon to their newly acquired villa filled with expectation of their future life of ease and affluence. In reality, Hedda has only 2 pistols, an old piano, and a portrait of a dead father; symbols from a past life, to cling to.

Half Breed – 11th to 20th February

Jazmin feels different. She doesn’t want to stay in the village. She doesn’t want to have a baby. She doesn’t want to laugh at racist jokes in the local pub. She’s got to get out. And when her gran signs her up for a drama school audition in London without telling her: ‘my brain is just confused as confused as my skin. Should I stay here? Or should I try to move to London? Stay. Go. Stay. Go. Stay. Go. Stay…’After sold out shows in London, at the Edinburgh Fringe and touring around India, Natasha Marshall returns her critically acclaimed, award-nominated show Half Breed to Soho Theatre, this time part of the Soho Theatre On Demand Film Festival. Shortlisted for the Soho Young Writers’ Tony Craze Award 2016, the Alfred Fagon Award 2016 and for best new play – co-produced by Soho Theatre and Talawa Theatre Company – in the 2017 UK Theatre Awards, Natasha Marshall’s full hour debut Half Breed is a one woman partly autobiographical dark comedy about faith in yourself: finding your voice, fighting for what you want and being fearless in who you are.

Shuck ‘N’ Jive – 18th to 27th February

Opera singer Simone very quickly discovers that London is not the BNP-free utopia she’d always dreamed of. Meanwhile, actress Cassi battles it out for the illustrious roles of ‘Sassy Friend’, ‘Spunky Slave’, and ‘Third Crack Whore From The Left’ at every audition. Desperate to be seen as they are, not as the colour of their skin, they decide to take control and write their own story. [This is that story.]

With music, laughter and searing honesty, Shuck ‘n’ Jive is the debut play from Cassiopeia Berkeley-Agyepong & Simone Ibbett-Brown, directed by Soho Theatre Associate Director Lakesha Arie-Angelo. This all-new digital version is remagined for the screen.

Mum – 25th February to 6th March

An unmissable new play from Olivier Award winning playwright Morgan Lloyd Malcolm (Emilia, West-End) and the acclaimed Producers of Fleabag and Baby Reindeer. Motherhood. No one can prepare you for it. No matter how much you tell yourself you can do it – can you? Where’s the rush of love? When will you sleep again? What if the thing you fear most is also the thing you crave? All you wanted was one night of unbroken sleep, what have you done? Mum is a feverish journey through every parent’s worst nightmare.

Sessions – 4th to 13th March

“30 just matters, init. Like there’s no doubt you’re a proper adult then. Like 25 to 29 is just training but 30, it’s real.” Tunde’s 30th birthday is fast approaching. So, he’s just started therapy because he hasn’t been able to get to the gym for weeks and a recent one-night stand ended in tears – his. Interrogating the challenge of opening up and accepting our own vulnerabilities, Sessions by Ifeyinwa Frederick (writer of The Hoes at Hampstead Theatre) is a raw, funny, bittersweet deep dive into the complexities of masculinity, depression and therapy.

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