Cultivate: Hope is a Dangerous Thing

This rehearsed reading is brought to you by CULTIVATE, Riverside Studios' new programme bringing the best of brand-new theatre to the stage for the first time. These plays have been carefully selected by Riverside Studios team as showing exceptional promise.

Funny, provocative, and emotionally charged, Hope Is a Dangerous Thing examines the fragile space between dreams and reality, asking whether success is worth the risk of failure, and whether a life without purpose is any safer. Bryan has spent three years chasing an acting career with little to show for it except rejection, uncertainty, and dwindling confidence. Living under the roof of his wealthy mother, Charlotte, he constantly finds himself defending his dream against her relentless criticism.

Charlotte believes she is protecting her son. Having watched Bryan's father waste years pursuing a failed music career, she refuses to stand by and watch history repeat itself. When Bryan receives his first major callback for a prestigious production of Hamlet, Charlotte sees it as yet another false dawn.

Age recommendation: 15+

CULTIVATE is a programme for theatre writers who are typically underrepresented in the theatre industry, we rely on generous donations from our patrons to keep the programme alive, if you are interested in making a donation, you can do so here.