Fri 25 April 2025 - Sun 4 May 2025 at St Bartholomew’s Church Show(s) at 7.30pm Fri/Sat/SunShow lasts approximately 2 hours (incl interval), suitable for adults and older children.
Tickets: Standard price £20, Pay a little more £25, Pay a little less £15, Concession price for under 16s £10
SPONTANEOUS PRODUCTIONS IN ASSOCIATION WITH KIRKDALE BOOKSHOP PRESENTS:
About the Show
What would drive one man to the ends of the Earth?
And why would so many choose to follow him?
Arguably Sydenham’s most famous former resident, antarctic explorer Sir Ernest Shackleton was one of Edwardian society’s leading figures. Now Sydenham’s acclaimed theatre company Spontaneous Productions will be staging six performances of its original play about the life of this most extraordinary man, in the beautiful setting of St Bart’s Church, next door to the Shackleton family home on Westwood Hill.
Innovatively staged, laced with humour and action, and featuring many regular Spontaneous performers, this promises to be the must see event in Sydenham this Easter. Written by our creative director Jonathan Kaufman and script consultant Jane Walker, with additional scenes written by members of its ScriptHub workshops, Shackleton’s incredible story will be told from multiple viewpoints:
From the epic adventure of the Endurance (1914-16) and the rescue of his crew from Elephant Island, to the epic voyage he and a handful of his men made crossing to South Georgia in a lifeboat; from his troubled marriage, to his valiant attempts to raise funds – no aspect of Shackleton’s life will remain unexplored.
Please note our scaled ticket pricing enables maximum accessibility to those on a budget, so please pay what you can best afford. The ticket price does not reflect the quality of your seat.
Age suitability: Performances are suitable for adults and older children. Parents are advised to bring children at their discretion. The show lasts approx 2 hours inc interval and features several intense scenes, some mild bad language, implied offstage violence and mild sexual references.
Book Tickets
Online: select your date and time below.
In person: online booking closes 30 minutes before start time, but tickets may still be available on the door.
More on how to book
The Cast
-
- KATE BARRY
-
- OLIVER BYNG
-
- WILLIAM HASTINGS
-
- ROBERT MASKELL
-
- JODYANNE RICHARDSON
-
- RAMIAH SMITH
KATE BARRY, OLIVER BYNG, WILLIAM HASTINGS, ROBERT MASKELL, JODYANNE RICHARDSON and RAMIAH SMITH
The Credits
- Produced and directed by Jonathan Kaufman
- Written by Jonathan Kaufman and Jane Walker
- Additional scenes written by Darren Bird, Juliet Chalk, Dan Harwood, Andrew Platman, Ida Tidy
- Assistant director and stage manager Ramiah Smith
- Costume designer and associate producer Jackie Poulett
- Set construction and assistant stage manager Zac Richardson
- Graphic design Jan Warren
- Photography Mark Drinkwater
The Audience Reviews
What audiences have said about our previous shows:
- “Spontaneous Productions is the National Theatre of SE26. Always surprising, always impressive, always entertaining.’ Matthew Sweet, author and broadcaster
- “That was wonderful! Amazing! A brilliant illustration of her life, superb direction” (Carl Packman, review of Eleanor Marx: The Jewess of Jews Walk)
- “A fascinating life, beautifully told! Well done Spontaneous Productions!” (audience comment Eye of Day: The Mata Hari Story)
- “It was amazing to see such inspiring and original work from new local writers…cleverly crafted very imaginative drama and comedy, which made for a highly entertaining evening.” (audience comment 600 Seconds ‘scratch night’)
The Sponsors
Property World, Woodfall Opticians, Sydenham Society
Billings, Fresh & Fruity, Wellbeing Healthfoods, Perfcuare Pharmacy, Bunka, On the Hoof Bistro, Gurkhas
Backstage Trust, Lewisham Council
