The Talking Drum [Harry Plowden]

THE Talking Drum: Voices from the Andover Estate interweaves stories from the Islington estate spanning 50 years. Created from three years of interviews by a London Metropolitan University team, and adapted by writer-director Tony Graham in collaboration with Park Theatre, the verbatim play offers a counter-narrative to decades of negative media portrayal of London estates. Until Aug 29, parktheatre.co.uk/

• Unfinished Business is set in 2100. No one goes out anymore, and everything happens online. A group of teenagers are challenged to find discarded objects from the past, prompting questions about choice and ownership. Combining personal stories, imagined futures and live sound, the show traces past decisions, consequences and hope. Aug 26-29, newdiorama.com/

• In Dandelions and Poppy, Connie navigates her sexuality and the idea of coming out to her religious mother, helped by Poppy, her best friend who’s a little too cool for big gay feelings, and Dandelion, a dog with zero inhibitions. Two teenagers giggle and fight their way through internalised homophobia, religious beliefs, fear of disappointment, and shifting relationships, all on a park bench. Sept 1-3, thehopetheatre.com/

• In Krapp’s Last Tape, Beckett’s 1958 monologue, a man marks his birthday alone, listening to recordings he made each year. Peter Marinker, 84 and recently diagnosed with Alzheimer’s, returns to the role using reel-to-reel tapes from his 1983 performance. Any in-ear prompts will run alongside the play, highlighting themes of memory, cognition and re-cognition. Sept 2-5, thecockpit.org.uk/

• At Camden People’s Theatre, Pocket Revolution follows Lucy as she sits in a police interrogation room after running someone over. As she tries to explain what happened, fantasies of innocence crack, exposing workplace exploitation, financial pressure, migration, shame, and loneliness. Sept 3-4.
Sound Strokes blends guzheng, harp, and bodhrán/percussion in reimagined folk melodies, original works, and improvisation, creating a cross-cultural musical dialogue between Chinese and Celtic traditions. Sept 5-6, cptheatre.co.uk/

• Michael Fowkes and Steve Tiplady’s The Pied Piper: A Rat’s Tale follows Horatio, the brave little rat behind the legend. Escaping his dull river-rat life for the sights, sounds and smells of Hamelin, he’s caught up in a whirlwind of adventure. His imprisonment sparks a rat invasion and the arrival of the mysterious Piper. With puppetry, storytelling and original music, this family show is for ages 5+. Sept 12–Nov 7. littleangeltheatre.com/

• Drawing on testimony from London’s Irish LGBTQ+ community, Derek Murphy’s Mammy’s House is set in 1985, against the backdrop of the Aids crisis. Behind the door of an ordinary Camden terrace, a group of friends who left Ireland build new lives. The play celebrates the resilience and humour that sustained a community facing prejudice and loss. Sept 1-13, upstairsatthegatehouse.com/