(Click here for the latest shorts lineup.)

what is shorts?

shorts is our vibrant monthly showcase of new work in development from the best young playwrights, directors, poets, musicians, comedians, film-makers and more. Two hours of top notch entertainment and a rabble-rousing atmosphere, rounded off with drinks and DJs in the bar.

shorts gives the best new talent from across the artistic spectrum the chance to test and develop new work in front of an audience and receive constructive feedback. You, meanwhile, get to see trail-blazing new work before anyone else.

Click here for news of the next shorts.
Click here to see what's been and gone at shorts past.

why?
We started shorts in 2001 because loads of our mates kept giving us the same reasons for not going to the theatre:

It's boring and irrelevant
It's too expensive
Theatres are full of old people
Theatre buildings are intimidating and uncomfortable
You can't drink, smoke and socialise at the theatre

So we launched shorts, which aims to be the antithesis of people's perception of theatre. shorts is held in a bar, which allows people to enjoy what they enjoy most - a night with their mates, drinking, smoking and chatting in an environment they feel comfortable in. We keep ticket prices cheap and showcase new work by young artists who have something important to say. And we mix up the theatre with comedy, music, film and poetry to keep it interesting. So now our mates have no excuse.

get involved
We're always on the scout for exciting new talent to showcase at shorts. So if you'd like to get involved - whether you're a playwright, director, actor, poet, musician, comedian, filmmaker or performing elephant - we want to hear from you. We aim to keep the criteria to a minimum in order to allow artists as much freedom as possible, but all work must be:
new.
short. (20 minutes maximum, often much less)
dependent on minimal, preferably no, technical requirements.

Click here to get involved in shorts