From Los Angeles to Crete – two new shows in Highgate

Theatregoers who missed Burn Baby Burn, have the chance to see the award nominated play when it is staged at Upstairs at the Gatehouse theatre this week.

Written and performed by Erin Hunter, this is the true story of the Los Angeles fires and what happened to Erin’s parents when the flames reached their door.

For Erin, living in London and powerless to help, and not knowing if her parents had survived the fire, the wait was interminable. And when she discovered to her joy that her parents were safe, she then learned that they had lost all their possessions. To compound their distress they had to navigate overwhelming grief, toxic ash and paperwork purgatory, surrounded by clueless celebs, posturing politicians and frazzled firefighters while 6,000 miles away, their (very) anxious daughter attempted to cling to composure.

Award-nominated Burn Baby Burn is a searing tragicomedy exploring the human cost of climate change and the humans fanning the flames. A sharp-witted blend of storytelling, songs and comic characterisation, it asks the questions nobody wanted to answer like: Why was LA’s biggest reservoir empty? What the hell is a ‘firenado’? And how did 80s film star Steve Guttenberg become a low-key hero?

Long After the Labyrinth is a new play recounting the largely unknown experiences the Jewish people living on the Greek island of Crete. The Jewish community dated back over 2,300 years but when the Germans invaded the island in 1941 the future became perilous.

Brought to life by husband-and-wife team Jonathan D’Young and Jennie Dunne, the play tells the story through the eyes of Rena Depas, a young girl hiding in the hollow of an ancient olive tree. She watches helplessly as her family are rounded up and loaded onto trucks. In the background there is a shadow, another presence, and that presence is the minotaur, possibly the island’s most famous ‘inhabitant’ from the days of Greek mythology.

In a gripping narrative told via text, movement, and shadow-play, the audience follows Rena on her own labyrinthine quest, her search for peace in the wake of violence.

For playwright Jonathan, the impact of October 7 has been a huge influence on his work and the need to tell stories and to promote peace through the arts.

Burn Baby Burn is on 17 October. Long After The Labyrinth runs 21 October – 8 November. Tickets at upstairsatthegatehouse.com