Riverside Studios announces return of Bitesize Festival for 2024

Riverside Studios has announced the return of its annual festival of new writing, Bitesize Festival.

Scheduled to run from 29 January to 25 February 2024, the festival enters its fourth year, continuing to provide a significant platform for emerging theatre-makers to debut their work on a London stage.

This year’s festival offers a unique opportunity for up-and-coming artists to not only showcase their talents but also gain comprehensive experience in producing a show to a professional standard. Riverside Studios will support these artists by providing in-house technical equipment, front-of-house, back-office services, and full-service marketing.

Most performances will be held in the intimate 150-seat Studio 3. Tickets are priced at £10, with a concession rate of £6.50. For those dedicated to experiencing the full breadth of the festival, a special Festival Pass is available for £50 throughout January. This pass includes a pair of tickets for each show, offering a substantial saving for avid festival-goers.

The festival launches on 29 January with Glastonbury, a comedy-drama that intertwines themes of love, dreams, and the quintessential festival experience. Following this is Dazzling, a queer tale exploring obsession, addiction, and poetry, hailed by The Scotsman as ‘Gen-Z’s answer to Fleabag’.

As the festival progresses, audiences can expect a diverse range of shows covering topics from freedom and forgiveness to the intricacies of family dynamics in immigrant families. Highlights include Nearly Lear, a one-woman show by Susanna Hamnett, praised for its poignant and mischievous storytelling. Additionally, Flute Theatre returns with Hamlet: Collateral Damage, a fresh take on Shakespeare’s classic for the modern world.

Rachel Tackley, Riverside’s Artistic Director, said: “This year, we were overwhelmed with responses from new and emerging creatives and theatre-makers. Bitesize Festival 2024 will welcome works of all shapes and sizes from across genres and styles. I cannot wait to see these submissions take shape as fully realised productions on our stages.”

Since its inception in 2020, the Bitesize Festival has welcomed audiences from across London and the UK, celebrating a rich variety of music, theatre, cinema, and wider arts.

For more information and tickets, visit riversidestudios.co.uk