by Sam Holcroft
Directed by Niall Monaghan
Play Reading: Tuesday 9 June 2026 at 7.45pm, in the studio
Auditions: Friday 19 June at 7.45pm or Sunday 28 June at 2pm, in the theatre
Performance Dates: 26 November – 5 December 2026
A black comedy-drama based on the premise that everyone creates their own coping strategies or rules for living. But what happens when an extended family gathers in the kitchen for a traditional Christmas and they each follow those rules rigidly? As long-held mechanisms for survival are laid bare, even Mum, who’s been preparing this lunch since last January, becomes embroiled. Time-honoured rivalries and resentments will out. Accusations fly, relationships deconstruct, the rules take over. In Sam Holcroft’s theatrically playful, dark comedy, the instructions are there for all to see, audience included – so there’s really no place to hide!
‘Bitingly funny and sharply observed’. Exeunt Magazine
This amateur production by arrangement with NICK HERN BOOKS.
Characters
Matthew | 30s-40s
Carrie | 30s-40s
Sheena | 30s-40s
Adam | 30s-40s
Edith | 60s-70s
Francis | 60s-70s
Emma | 14+