Plymouth Performance Weekend returns for 2025!
Following a successful showcase in 2024, the two-day festival returns on 24 and 25 May with eight shows by local artists spanning theatre, comedy, music and performance.
Expect wild true stories and fantastic folk tales, home-grown poetry and cracking comedy, drums, food, movement, music and much more!
See event listings below and book your tickets to support home grown talent in a state-of-the-art performance space.
Plymouth Performance Weekend is curated and produced by Plymouth Performance, a team of local producers creating opportunities for South West-based professional artists to show work across theatre, dance, music and performance, with a scratch weekend in the winter and performance weekend in the summer. For more information or to get involved see www.plymouthperformance.com
Supported by
The Bridge
and Performing Arts at University of Plymouth.
Event listings
All performances are in
The House
.
Gim Bap by Jung Borthwick
The performance follows Jung-hee, a first-generation immigrant, as she hosts a livestream cooking show where she makes gimbap, a traditional Korean dish. Through the process of cooking and interacting with viewers, she explores themes of identity, cultural differences, and the isolation of living abroad. The show juxtaposes the vibrant energy of her broadcast with the quiet loneliness she feels once the camera turns off.
Date: Saturday 24 May
Time: 17:30–18:30
Book tickets.
The performance follows Jung-hee, a first-generation immigrant, as she hosts a livestream cooking show where she makes gimbap, a traditional Korean dish. Through the process of cooking and interacting with viewers, she explores themes of identity, cultural differences, and the isolation of living abroad. The show juxtaposes the vibrant energy of her broadcast with the quiet loneliness she feels once the camera turns off.
Date: Saturday 24 May
Time: 17:30–18:30
Book tickets.
Plymouth Poetry Festival at Plymouth Weekender
Hosted by Literature Works and showcasing poetry by the Plymouth Poet Laureates, Rosemarie Corlett and Frankie Baldry, this will be a taster of the Plymouth Poetry Festival, coming later in the year.
Date: Saturday 24 May
Time: 18:30–19:30
Book tickets.
Hosted by Literature Works and showcasing poetry by the Plymouth Poet Laureates, Rosemarie Corlett and Frankie Baldry, this will be a taster of the Plymouth Poetry Festival, coming later in the year.
Date: Saturday 24 May
Time: 18:30–19:30
Book tickets.
Internal by Tony Bligh
What if you were not who you thought you were... Or started to question everything. WELL WORRY NO MORE! Let's go down a rabbit hole of procrastination to avoid my true self too!!! Maybe we'll learn more about your internal self?
Date: Saturday 24 May
Time: 20:00–21:00
Book tickets.
What if you were not who you thought you were... Or started to question everything. WELL WORRY NO MORE! Let's go down a rabbit hole of procrastination to avoid my true self too!!! Maybe we'll learn more about your internal self?
Date: Saturday 24 May
Time: 20:00–21:00
Book tickets.
Meet Mayor Max by Alex Robins
An unbelievable true story told by someone who made themselves a part of it. While learning about Mayor Max, we ask questions about belief, eccentricity and purpose. Get to know the small town of Idyllwild! The town with a dog for a mayor! Everyone knows everyone and most people have fun nicknames! Call the cops here, and you'll be waiting for hours!
Date: Saturday 24 May
Time: 21:00–22:00
Book tickets.
An unbelievable true story told by someone who made themselves a part of it. While learning about Mayor Max, we ask questions about belief, eccentricity and purpose. Get to know the small town of Idyllwild! The town with a dog for a mayor! Everyone knows everyone and most people have fun nicknames! Call the cops here, and you'll be waiting for hours!
Date: Saturday 24 May
Time: 21:00–22:00
Book tickets.
Pan the Wild God is Dead by Henry Everett
Performance storyteller Henry Everett brings wild tales from Ancient Greece of the Great God Pan. Deep in the wilds of Arcadia, the first ever satyr, Pan is born. He is to become god of pasture, overlord of wild creatures, ruler of solitary places. He will save the gods in Olympus and change all life on Earth, yet his tale is a tragedy.
Date: Sunday 25 May
Time: 17:30–18:30
Book tickets.
Performance storyteller Henry Everett brings wild tales from Ancient Greece of the Great God Pan. Deep in the wilds of Arcadia, the first ever satyr, Pan is born. He is to become god of pasture, overlord of wild creatures, ruler of solitary places. He will save the gods in Olympus and change all life on Earth, yet his tale is a tragedy.
Date: Sunday 25 May
Time: 17:30–18:30
Book tickets.
Weird Plymouth by Nuria Bonet & Weird Baby
A performance double bill starting with Master of the Music, a musical clowning performance exploring the sacrifices of musical excellence through humour. Through reinterpretations of canonical classical music pieces, Nuria questions the conventions of the world of classical music. Followed by Weird Baby, the alter ego of Grace Lightman and Cestra. Weird Baby is a chaos experiment in production and action, the only rule is say yes to everything. Expect brown leotards, electronic music and a lot of jumping.
Date: Sunday 25 May
Time: 18:30–19:30
Book tickets.
A performance double bill starting with Master of the Music, a musical clowning performance exploring the sacrifices of musical excellence through humour. Through reinterpretations of canonical classical music pieces, Nuria questions the conventions of the world of classical music. Followed by Weird Baby, the alter ego of Grace Lightman and Cestra. Weird Baby is a chaos experiment in production and action, the only rule is say yes to everything. Expect brown leotards, electronic music and a lot of jumping.
Date: Sunday 25 May
Time: 18:30–19:30
Book tickets.
Rhizome Tears by Crumbling Rocks Theatre
Rhizome Tears is a live art performance that explores a personal relationship between mental health, the city and nature. Seeking to tap into a deeply felt anger, frustration and sadness of concrete jungles, materialism and late-stage capitalism, and then provide a sharp relief by lightheartedly entering our happy place somewhere out in nature, where none of those things seem to matter anymore.
Date: Sunday 25 May
Time: 20:00–21:00
Book tickets.
Rhizome Tears is a live art performance that explores a personal relationship between mental health, the city and nature. Seeking to tap into a deeply felt anger, frustration and sadness of concrete jungles, materialism and late-stage capitalism, and then provide a sharp relief by lightheartedly entering our happy place somewhere out in nature, where none of those things seem to matter anymore.
Date: Sunday 25 May
Time: 20:00–21:00
Book tickets.
Taiko – the Big Bang presented by Elements
A vibrant display of energy, rhythms, power and movement. Through taiko, the Japanese artform of ensemble drumming, we will celebrate our community, showcase our passion and invite you to immerse yourself in the joy that taiko brings. This performance will showcase a variety of pieces including original compositions and open source taiko songs played all across the world.
Date: Sunday 25 May
Time: 21:00–22:00
Book tickets.
A vibrant display of energy, rhythms, power and movement. Through taiko, the Japanese artform of ensemble drumming, we will celebrate our community, showcase our passion and invite you to immerse yourself in the joy that taiko brings. This performance will showcase a variety of pieces including original compositions and open source taiko songs played all across the world.
Date: Sunday 25 May
Time: 21:00–22:00
Book tickets.
More from MayFest
- 19–24 May | Discovery Week industry-led talks and workshops for aspiring actors and theatre-makers.
- 26–31 May | MayFest Student Festival an eclectic programme of performances created, produced and performed by students from University of Plymouth
