The Scene X Lambeth Fringe - Bad Indian

A dancer in a banker's suit. A "good Indian boy" gone spectacularly off-script.Raised to be the success story everyone wanted, Saaj Raja chose double lives instead: forbidden loves, an unconventional dream, and a talent for talking his way into rooms he had no business being in.From suburban Britain to the trading floors of Hong Kong, Bad Indian is a funny, fearless and deeply personal solo show that blends storytelling, movement and humour to explore identity, family, ambition and the masks we wear to survive. As expectations collide with authenticity, Saaj asks: what happens when you stop being who everyone expects and start becoming who you really are?Developed through sold-out performances and directed by acclaimed theatre director Scott Le Crass, Bad Indian is an intimate and emotionally charged production that balances razor-sharp comedy with vulnerable, confessional storytelling.Early audiences have called it:"Powerful, moving and incredibly funny.""A story that needed to be told.""Raw, honest and beautifully performed."Whether you've ever felt caught between cultures, careers, relationships—or simply between who you are and who you're expected to be—Bad Indian invites you to laugh, reflect, and leave seeing yourself a little differently.Bad Productions StudiosWriter & Performer: Saaj RajaDirector: Scott Le CrassProducer: Jessica Folwer & Laura YeeComposer & Sound Designer: Pierre FlasseAssociate Sound Designer: Amy K. PixLighting Designer: Abhinav MishraRunning time: 70minsDate & Time: Wednesday 21st & Thursday 22nd October @7.15pm

The world has ended. But not for everyone. There is still one man left. Cain is stuck adrift at sea and he has to change his fate, in three visits from Jesus Christ. But the devil has other plans for him. Out of Place Theatre presents “The Third Coming of Jesus Christ”, an absurdist comedy tackling the themes of free will, human nature, christianity and human adversity. The tale of Cain and Abel is a very dramatic story of choice. Will Cain overcome the envy for his brother? Or is his cry to God perfectly justified? He's got a second chance for us to find out. Karol Stanisz's absurdist play combines laughter together with the immediately recognisable characters is a perfect storm for Lambeth Festival. Directed by Gabrielle Hofmann and with music by Ciara Cogley, it's bound to be a wild ride that will move you, make you laugh and prompt you to re-evaluate your spiritual landscape.Written by Karol StaniszDirected by Gabrielle HofmannDate & Time: Sunday 18th October @7pmRunning Time: 50 mins

A couple in love, a positive pregnancy test and a long-avoided conversation.An intimate new play exploring love, expectation and the hidden assumptions we hold onto in relationships.Told through a non-linear structure moving between memories and the present, the story follows Sky and Noah as an unexpected pregnancy forces them to confront a conversation they've spent years avoiding. As past and present unfold, the expectations they place on themselves, each other and their future begin to unravel, revealing how two people can experience the same relationship through entirely different lenses.The play invites audiences to examine their own assumptions alongside its characters. It explores the limits of empathy, the complexity of communication and the challenge of seeing beyond our own perspective.Honest, intimate and thought-provoking, this two-hander blends humour with heartbreak to explore the moments that define us, the conversations we avoid and the words we leave unsaid. Audiences can expect a raw, emotionally resonant story that lingers long after the final scene, inviting reflection on love, choice and what it really means to be attuned to another person.Thread & Frame Creative StudioWriter: Deanna ArthurDirector: Samantha PearsCast: Nathan Lwanga, Deanna ArthurAssistant Producers: Lola Norris, Elle Peters and Tamaki FukayaRunning time: 60minsDate & Time: Thursday 15th and Friday 16th October @7.30pm

Step inside a magical world where everything is made of sweets!When fun-loving Louisa discovers a mysterious jar in her uncle’s forbidden study, she is whisked away to Sweetland – a colourful world of lemonade seas, toffee valleys and peppermint mountains. But the wicked Sugar King threatens the land, and only Louisa can stop him.Joined by Choco, a wonderfully imperfect chocolate friend, Louisa embarks on an extraordinary adventure filled with puppetry, masks, magic, original songs, and plenty of audience participation.Funny, imaginative and full of heart, The Magic Sweet Jar is an interactive family show about friendship, courage and learning that every feeling has its place. For ages 6+ and their grown-ups.Developed  with support from the Marlowe Theatre. Content Information: The show gently explores loss and emotional resilience through humour, fantasy and play.Written & Directed by Sally Horowitz and Benjamin WayDate & Time: Saturday 17th October @12pm - Vauxhall City FarmRunning Time: 50 mins

Best friends Gabi and Fiona impulsively purchase a mysterious Time Machine that can send them back to any moment within the last 24 hours. At first, the device becomes a shared escape: an endlessly replayed day where the two can dodge consequences, redo mistakes, and savor their favorite moments. Each loop feels like an inside joke they never have to stop telling.But after countless resets, cracks begin to form. Gabi feels the weight of the real world pressing in and is ready to move forward into tomorrow. Fiona, overwhelmed by responsibilities she hasn’t faced and comforted by the controlled chaos of the loop, clings to the idea of one more perfect do-over.Their conflict erupts into an argument that breaks the Time Machine, and in the aftermath, the loop collapses. When the world stabilizes, Fiona finds herself stranded: the machine won’t restart, the timeline has shifted, and the Gabi she knew, the one she entered the loop with, is gone.The play follows Fiona as she attempts to repair the machine, retrace the loops, and navigate unfamiliar versions of the day in hopes of returning to her original timeline. Along the way, she confronts the consequences she tried to outrun, the parts of herself she avoided, and the possibility that moving forward may be the only way to find Gabi again, if she ever can.At its heart, the play explores friendship, fear of change, the lure of nostalgia, and the courage it takes to let tomorrow finally arrive.Cast & Creative TeamWriter: Ryann FasolisDate & Time: Saturday 10th & Sunday 11th October @ 8:30pmRunning Time: 60 mins

"I love and that's all there is. There is nothing wrong or right with anyone. We just love."Betty, Lillie and Michelle, a family of three women, are all fed up with love and it just not going their way. With Betty’s husband suffering with dementia, Michelle separating from her partner and Lillie fearful of the next rejection around the corner; Michelle decides to throw a Galentine’s day to cure her own loneliness and to help her family forget about theirs too.We follow the three women on the lead up to this crucial day as they explore what love really means.A heartbreaking female led play full of emotion, warmth and of course love. The Love That I’ve Lost begs the question: What is love when you only feel its absence. A unique story focused on the forgotten loveless tales of women of all ages, and the hardships and fears that love brings us all. While deeply emotional, it’s honest and brutally human.Cast and CrewWriter & Director : Morgan ClariceProducer: Lacey BeaumontCastBetty: Nina AndersonMichelle: Amelia DunnLillie: Harriet Spence-ReidRunning time: 70 minsDate & Time: Thursday 8th & Friday 9th October @ 6:00pm

This is a hugely energetic but skilfully controlled character comedy show which reveals the hilarious dynamics between three women who find themselves in a therapy session led by a therapist who never seems to get past the warm up. These women are street smart parkour-enthusiast Cheryl; genteel widow Janet; Bonnie, the wannabe Aussie yogi influencer and ineffective therapist Linda who - try as she may - simply cannot escape them. This patchwork of intriguing characters looks at how the human brain navigates life’s challenges to find ways to cope and flourish, which leaves audiences laughing and reflecting. The four quirky yet relatable characters tell their unique stories by the means they know best including parkour, instagram live videos and dissociative conversations.“Funny, visceral and ambitious...a play that will encourage you to find a more truthful adjective than ‘fine’ next time someone asks how you are.” 4 stars, Binge FringeWritten by Jesse Dupré & Ally ColognaDirected by Ally ColognaDate & Time: Sunday 4th & Monday 5th October @ 7pmRunning Time: 60 mins

I Will Survive is a darkly funny solo show about grief, estrangement, and the complicated experience of losing a parent you didn’t really like.Featuring a deeply overambitious PowerPoint presentation (given Hari's technical prowess), the show blends humour and storytelling to take audiences through the messier side of mourning. It looks at what it means to lose someone you didn’t feel close to, how frankly ridiculous funerals can be, and challenges the idea that there’s a ‘right’ way to grieve.'As I was watching it, I realised that will be me one day. I feel a little more prepared now.' - Audience MemberA funny and unexpectedly moving piece of theatre that uses humour to explore the darker sides of life (and death). If expressing how you feel has ever made someone else feel uncomfortable, this is probably the show for you.‘So fascinating. Anger, feeling like you’ve been told off, naughtiness, numbness; [you can have] all of these in the context of very loving relationships. Weird grief about a weird relationship is a fascinating subject.’ - Audience MemberWritten and performed by Hari BerrowDirector: Phil OkwedyDate & Time: Sunday 4th October @ 7PM

Change starts small, with small acts of rebellion. Most people go through life being polite, even with the closest friends, too scared of speaking their minds, too boxed in, resigned to live life in circles. But when every choice we make every day has become political, it's time to reassess one's life and start making changes. But what if it comes too late? What would you choose? Speak up and face loneliness or stay quiet and keep your friends?Lisa and Laura are two old estranged friends who run into each other in a hospital waiting room. One hopes for a rekindling of the old friendship, the other would rather die than live in the past. Laura's cheerfulness and optimism clashes with Lisa's serious approach to life and friendship. Who will win in this battle of emotions?Cast & Creative TeamBad DollsWriter: Dani ViluDirector: Yasamin RashidDate & Time: Friday 2nd & Saturday 3rd October @ 5:30pm

London's premier comedy power couple Karyna Aslanova and Mike Pigskin (Mikaryna) present a brand new split bill stand up show: Double Fantasy.Karyna is a Ukrainian comedian, actor, filmmaker, and artist. Her stand up is all about story telling and observations about identity, cultural differences, sex, some bodily fluids, and childhood experiences.Mike is a stand up and character comedian from up North whose comedy is a little bit observational, a little bit pop culture, a little bit rude, and a little bit weird.They are a real life married couple and have been honing their live comedy craft since 2017, starting out together (but separately) on the expat circuit in Prague, CZ before coming to the UK in 2019, first being based on the North West circuit, then moving to London in 2022.Double Fantasy features real love, big laughs, and two very unique approaches to live comedy. This hot international duo may not have kids but they have birthed out this raw, howling baby stand up special just for you. Come have a look at it.Written and Directed by Karyna Aslanova and Mike PigskinDate & Time: Thursday 1st October @ 8:00pm - The SparrowhawkRunning Time: 75 mins