Nottingham Playhouse’s AMPLIFY SEASONS: AUTUMN 26 presents exciting new work by up-and-coming Midlands’ artists, on Friday 23 October in the Neville Studio.
With a thread of comedy woven throughout, it includes a headline act about one woman’s love for lidos, and two work-in-progress shows, one examining the nuts and bolts of interpersonal relationships and the other, just how far employers will go to avoid their responsibilities. All performances are captioned for the deaf and hard of hearing.
The headline show for AMPLIFY SEASONS: AUTUMN 26 is Lido – A Love Story by Lindsey Warnes. Writer, performer and award-winning comedian Lindsey Warnes takes a deep dive into the wonderful world of lidos in this new theatre show.
With live performance, storytelling, projection, voice recordings and music, Lido – A Love Story celebrates the people, communities and history that make lidos special, as well as exploring Lindsey’s life-long love affair with swimming outdoors. Dryrobes optional!
The double-bill of work-in-progress shows is titled Nothing is Wrong, and includes:
Tea for Two by David Gibbons
What begins as an ordinary coffee break between Maria and former partner Jake, soon unfolds into something far more surreal.
The conversation loops and small cracks appear — an unanswered phone call, moments of déjà vu, and Maria’s sudden flashes of panic — it becomes clear that there are limits to what Maria can control.
Tea for Two is a bittersweet two-hander that blends dark comedy and romance. It explores how humour can both protect and betray us, how love lingers in the everyday and how letting go sometimes starts with picking up the phone. Performed by David Gibbons and Georgie Matthews.
And Urgent Mandatory Training by Jasmine Ballard is a satirical look at the performative nature of corporate training:
Good morning, team!
You may have heard about an unfortunate public incident involving our CEO.
As we’re a solutions-forward environment, you are cordially invited to a very important, must-attend, Values Realignment Experience with your HR department.
What’s a Values Realignment Experience you ask?
You’ll learn about why whistleblowing is actually quite selfish, how to communicate your issues inwardly, and how to fix your mental health in 60 seconds!
This immersive corporate training covers:
– Whistleblowing (usually just misunderstandings)
– Depression (a mindset issue)
– Workplace relationships (the three of us: you, them, and us)
– Conflict resolution (don’t)
Whatever comes out – be it laughter, tears, emotional baggage, we’ll all remain loyal to The Company!
There are four AMPLIFY: SEASONS events per year which give artists the chance to connect with, and receive feedback from, audiences and industry on their work at various stages of development.
Beccy D’Souza, Artist Development Producer, said:
“Amplify SEASONS is going from strength to strength, and this is the fourth SEASONS event, meaning we’ve now faced all weathers! The shows this month have been programmed through conversations with artists following our ideas submission open callout earlier in the year, and it’s been wonderful to be able to offer these opportunities to Midlands’ artists to support the development of their work just when they need it.
“Chatting with Jasmine, Mike, Lindsey and David, it’s clear the passion and excitement they have for their work, and I’m sure the audiences will have an enjoyable evening exploring these three very different pieces. I’m certainly looking forward to it.
“If you’ve not been to a SEASONS event before, the atmosphere is always warm and welcoming, and there’s a lovely sense of community – both for artists and audiences – there’s a real buzz around the evening. It’s genuinely one of my favourite times to be in the theatre. Come alone, bring a friend, make a friend, discover new artists, work and new collaborators, everyone is welcome.”
Amplify Seasons is supported by The Fenton Arts Trust and the Noel Coward Foundation.
Tickets are now on sale for AMPLIFY SEASONS: AUTUMN 26.
Amplify is Nottingham Playhouse’s artist development programme for Midlands’ creatives, now in its year and with over 1200 members. Amplify offers opportunities including scratch nights, networking events, masterclasses, co-working and one to one mentoring. Membership is free for those with a connection to the Midlands. Find out more about Amplify Membership.
Posted on 14 October 2026
