The Statesman

The Statesman

a new absurdist comedy about the importance of laughter itself

£22, £20 (Concessions)

The Statesman is the story of a humourless village and the bitter old man whose job it is to teach them to be funny. Nestled deep in the countryside, the people stand defiantly apart from their neighbours – all humour is banned. No one has cracked a joke in generations.

When a boy is exiled for the forbidden act of laughter, his case catches the eye of the Queen. With a royal representative on the way, the village faces a terrifying dilemma: to protect their way of life, they must become the very thing they are not... funny.

Written by Joel Marlin and directed by Quentin Beroud, this sharply-drawn satire makes its world premiere.