13 September 2024
Sedos today announces an exciting 2025 Bridewell season consisting of four musicals and one play, with more shows to be announced soon.
Our shows at the Bridewell Theatre next year will be:
Violet (25-29 March 2025)
Hairspray (7-17 May 2025)
The Crucible (16-20 September 2025)
Assassins (23-27 September 2025)
Dreamgirls (19-29 November 2025)
More details of the shows and the teams behind them below.
MESSAGE FROM MANAGEMENT COMMITTEE CHAIR
Sedos Management Committee chair Adrian Hau said: “Our 2024 season has really pushed the boundaries of amateur theatre in London; with our members taking Sunday In the Park with George to the outdoor setting of Thorington, and Sedos’ first all-black cast and creative team preparing to bring The Color Purple to sold-out audiences for its amateur premier in the UK – to name but just two of the many successes.
“Through 2024, there were no fewer than 129 opportunities for Sedos members to perform in our shows. When you add our creative and production crew, that number of opportunities to be part of our community nearly doubles. The total number doubles again when you add Sedance, Simprov and the Acting Group. Sedos remains a member focused society; be it on-stage, off-stage, and even in our audiences. Our 2025 season clocks in with at least 135 performing opportunities on stage and with that comes just as many production opportunities. Sedance, Simprov and the Acting Group continue, and we've planned for a busy membership and social calendar too.
“Programming the season each year is no easy task. We’ve got to balance the desires of as many of our members as possible, against a backdrop of significant financial uncertainty whilst we continue to be without a home. Taking risks as a society was perhaps more common in a world when we had a rehearsal, build and storage space at BHG – as we continue to operate at a net loss, we must pick our season responsibly, sustainably programming to buy us more time to find a more permanent solution.
“Our 2025 season seeks to build on our members’ successes in 2024. We’ve welcomed a huge number of talented new members, that we hadn’t ever reached before through The Color Purple. The team behind the show has taught us that it takes meaningful outreach, and to facilitate those (familiar!) exceptional experiences to make underrepresented groups feel welcome – a part of Sedos. We see our new members; we want you to thrive in our community, and our 2025 season seeks to provide those opportunities to do that, side-by-side with Sedos members old and new.
“We received 27 pitches this year for six slots in the Bridewell Theatre and one touring slot to The Minack. Picking from all the fantastic pitches Sedos receives is never easy – picking for 2025 was more difficult than ever. We'd like to thank everyone who pitched; the quality of pitches really didn't make it easy for us!”
And watch this space – we have more surprises up our sleeves. Our Minack show and another London play will be announced in due course.
FULL DETAILS OF SEDOS’ 2025 SEASON
Violet | Bridewell Theatre | 25-29 March 2025
“It is the journey that will transform you, not the destination.”
This multi-time, award-winning musical follows a scarred woman who embarks on a cross-country bus trip to be healed by a minister, and discovers the true meaning of beauty along the way.
Director Dan Saunders said: "Violet is a show with great uplifting music, a diverse cast and lots of scope for play and discovery whilst rehearsing. We hope to create an environment such that the preparation for the run is equally as rewarding and exciting as the run itself.
“Our ethos is that theatre is a team sport and that when everyone works together, a show can be greater than the sum of its parts, and we can create an experience that is unique and special for cast, crew and audience alike.”
DIRECTOR and PRODUCER | Dan Saunders MUSICAL DIRECTOR | Adrian Hau
This amateur production is presented by arrangement with Music Theatre International. All authorised performance materials are also supplied by MTI. www.mtishows.co.uk
Hairspray - The Broadway Musical | Bridewell Theatre | 7-17 May 2025
Based on the New Line Cinema film written and directed by John Waters
Hairspray is the big, bold and beautiful musical you’ve been waiting for!
Set in 1960s Baltimore, with a bumping rhythm and blues score by Marc Whitman, Hairspray has had audiences around the world dancing to hits like 'Run and Tell That', 'Without Love' and 'You Can’t Stop the Beat' since the show’s release in 2002.
Director Taylor Davidson said: “I’ve loved this show since the 2007 movie came out. The music makes you want to dance immediately and I can’t wait to get started building this big, loud, energetic world! Hairspray is so much fun and reminds us that we’re all equal."
DIRECTOR | Taylor Davidson (she/her)
PRODUCER | Ben Hussey
This amateur production is presented by arrangement with Music Theatre International. All authorised performance materials are also supplied by MTI. www.mtishows.co.uk
The Crucible | Bridewell Theatre | 16-20 September 2025
An enduring story of blame, manipulation, and paranoia — but also a tale of love and loyalty.
Arthur Miller’s 1952 classic explores the Salem Witch Trials, in 1692 Massachusetts. Teenager Abigail Williams leads a group of girls in accusing others in their tight-knit community of witchcraft. Hysteria erupts across Salem and innocent villagers pay the price. A farmer, John Proctor, is caught in an impossible dilemma, torn between his reputation and his life.
Director Jonah McLeod commented: "The Crucible is one of the greatest works of modern drama – we want to do it justice. Our vision is of a Salem that is so close up to the audience that horror is hidden in plain sight. We can’t wait to enter the unsettling world of 1692, and to be swept up in all the truth, lies, and everything in between."
DIRECTOR | Jonah McLeod (he/him)
DIRECTOR | Anoushka Nairac (she/they)
SET DESIGNER | Ellen Redgrave (they/them)
This amateur production is presented by arrangement with Music Theatre International on behalf of Josef Weinberger Ltd. www.mtishows.co.uk | www.josef-weinberger.com
Assassins | Bridewell Theatre from | 17-21 September 2025
A timely reimagining of Stephen Sondheim and John Weidman’s musical that explores the darkness in those that the American Dream leaves behind.
Assassins tells the stories of nine individuals who either attempted to or succeeded in assassinating Presidents of the United States. The show explores the concept of the American Dream, or rather the dark side of that Dream – that quick fame is the objective and one of the quickest routes to that is to try to kill a President.
Our production will reimagine Assassins in a modern setting and show that, despite being 30 years old, the themes and lessons are still present in our lives today.
Director Dan Edge said: "I am thrilled to be given the opportunity to present a new take on Assassins. The show is incredibly relevant to our current political and social situation, and I hope that the new setting and style will resonate with audiences and show what happens to those that are left behind by the American Dream."
DIRECTOR | Dan Edge (he/him)
PRODUCER | Pippa Kyle (she/her)
MUSICAL DIRECTOR | Matt Gould (he/him)
This amateur production is presented by arrangement with Music Theatre International. All authorised performance materials are also supplied by MTI www.mtishows.co.uk
Dreamgirls | Bridewell Theatre |19-29 November 2025
There’s a story behind every dream.
A sweeping and inspirational journey through 20th century American pop music, Dreamgirls chronicles one Motown group’s rise from obscurity to superstardom. All you have to do is dream.
Famously inspired by the Supremes, Dreamgirls explores the stardom, competition and love lives surrounding three Black women climbing the ranks of the music industry in the '60s and '70s.
Featuring the classic songs ‘And I Am Telling You I’m Not Going’, ‘I Am Changing’ and ‘One Night Only’, Dreamgirls will transport you to a revolutionary time in American music history. The trio, ‘The Dreams’, must learn the tough lesson that show business and stardom isn’t always as glamorous as it seems.
Director David Gregory commented: “Dreamgirls is everything you want from a musical: memorable music, unparalleled vocals, emotional storytelling, dazzling costumes, spectacular dance. It has earned its iconic status in musical theatre for good reason. I’m thrilled to be able to help bring that to the Sedos stage. It’ll be one of the most intimate and up close productions of Dreamgirls you’ll see! Just dream… and we’ll be there!”
DIRECTOR | David Gregory
PRODUCER | Tess Robinson
MUSICAL DIRECTOR | Isaac Bartels
This amateur production of Dreamgirls is presented by arrangement with Concord Theatricals Ltd. www.concordtheatricals.co.uk