Director Connor Goodwin chats about Plays for a Poor Theatre, which is coming to the Bread & Roses Theatre this month.
In time with the Bread & Roses Theatre’s capital refurbishment and re-opening at the end of January 2026, we’re reviving this ‘outstanding’ production for the first time in three years since it’s R&D at Mountview Academy of Theatre Arts in 2023.
Where: Bread & Roses Theatre
When: 17 – 21 Feb
Ticket link: https://www.breadandrosestheatre.co.uk/whats-on.html
Why did you decide to revive these three short plays now?
Plays for a Poor Theatre represents so much for us as artists and communities at this time.
Whilst there are shoots of hope with recent culture sector investment, years of underfunding and unrealistic expectations have left us in a very dark space in British theatre, where many of our European partners have continued exceeding.
It feels now more than ever, that we’re struggling to keep up and are being left behind.
Plays for a Poor Theatre is theatre stripped back to the core. Three actors, in a space, tackling some of the most difficult themes in the current day.
When the production of Heads (one of the three shows part of this 3-in-1 production) happened at Mountview, we knew something very special was made.
After years of development and experimentation, we’ve settled for the riskiest, most edge-of-yer-seat version yet.
Brenton’s writing is exceptional, and gives audiences so much to experience. It’s truly a once in a lifetime spectacle that needs to be experienced – that’s why I brought it back.
What should audiences expect, and what three words would you use to sell the show to them?
Punchy, experiencial and risky. Audiences should be prepared for a play stripped back to its core – with three incredibly diverse and powerful performances in a studio theatre.
Let yourselves go, take the challenge and see something different to the West End re-runs, the commercial giants in the massive venues. See a play at the very start of its journey.
The messages that you find in Heads, Gum and Goo, and the Education of Skinny Spew still have a strong contemporary relevance. Have you used that in any way to inform your staging of the productions?
Yes – the contemporary themes … from politics through to identity are reflected in the production design and direction.
This is a contemporary play, there’s no two ways about that. For me, this is a statement on the state of the sector (the “poor” theatre element) and the opportunity to take it back to basics – and get those basics really spot on.
Characters, narrative, language, behaviour – getting the emotion and energy right. No fancy lighting, no wild sound effects – just three exceptional actors tackling a wildly difficult text.
How have you developed this show as a collaborative group? Has it evolved a lot since its 2023 outing at Mountview?
It’s very different to 2023. We took the feedback from the time and developed Gum and Goo & Education of Skinny Spew to sit in synergy with Heads.
The actors have spent time researching and developing the context of the three plays, mastering the difficulty in language and discourse.
We’ve also spent time working with other creatives developing the production value, contextual elements and generally – making it into a bloody good night out for anyone that buys a ticket. It’s been about three years worth of work.
What’s happening to the production after the Bread & Roses run?
Well – buy a ticket and support new work and hopefully we can grow the production and take it elsewhere.
We’re focused on getting this version spot on, before thinking about transfers or growth.
Five shows, one-week only. If you wait, you’ll be late so get a ticket whilst you still can.