This double-bill presentation brings together two sharp, contemporary one-act plays exploring ideological divisions within intimate settings. In Friendsgiving, a reunion dinner among childhood friends begins to unravel as casual conversation exposes radicalised beliefs, testing the group's long-standing bonds. The Mending Circle unfolds in a community sewing group caught in a storm, their solidarity challenged by the arrival of a stranger whose views clash starkly with their values. Both works consider the personal cost of cultural polarisation and the fragile thread of shared understanding.

Friendsgiving / The Mending Circle features the work of emerging playwrights Shona Graham and Chloe Yates, whose scripts were selected from over 200 submissions to the Bill Cashmore one act play award. The production is directed by Rebekah Murrell (J’ouvert, West End), with associate direction by Jordi M. Carter. The creative team includes set and costume design by Willoughby Brow, lighting by Ros Chase, sound by Kayode Gomez, and dramaturgical support from Annabelle Sami.

Presented by the Lyric Hammersmith Theatre, the production is performed by the 2025 SPRINGBOARD trainees, an ensemble of early-career talent. This staging continues the Lyric’s commitment to nurturing new voices in British theatre while engaging with urgent sociopolitical themes through formally bold and character-driven storytelling.