“A story of new beginnings, loss, and the sharing of cultures”
Reviews Hub ****
“A warm and gentle show, it captures the transient and precarious nature of life as an
immigrant in the UK in the current climate”
The Stage ****
“Gavran’s writing is alive with sensuous detail”
British Theatre Guide

Notnow Collective launches digital version of its critically acclaimed Pepper and Honey show Pepper and Honey which was due to tour in Autumn 2020 (and was cancelled due to the Covid pandemic), is hosting a free online performance in 2 parts thanks to funding from The Library Presents. The digital world-premiere of Kristina Gavran’s play, delivered as a 2-part live audience experience, will take place on Saturday 12 and Saturday 19 December 2020 at 7pm. Tickets are free.

Audiences are invited to enhance their experience of the performance by preparing a sensory tray prior to each episode. (The intriguing list of ingredients will be explained to each audience member once they book a ticket). Tina Hofman, Artistic Director of Notnow Collective said: “We like many others in the industry have been left reeling from the impact of Covid on theatre. But rather than sit and wait to see what 2021 brings, we wanted to find a way of bringing our timely and pertinent show to an audience, and like so many others, have reacted and adapted by launching a digital version. Covid has taken over all talks of Brexit, but we know that it is heading our way soon in terms of the impact that it is going to have on the UK and its citizens. That’s why our show Pepper and Honey is still so important for our audiences to see and be part of.” So, what’s home? As the era of post- Brexit Britain looms large, that question has never been morepertinent…

That’s the question Ana, a young Croatian woman, poses as she settles in the UK. Pepper and Honey is the UK’s first ‘European’ theatre piece touring the UK as it prepares to leave the European Union. Written by a Croatian playwright and performed by a Croatian actor, Pepper and Honey is a poignant, subtle and timely play about the journey of change, cultural differences, trying not to feel like a foreigner in your adopted country and the conflict between upholding the traditions of the ‘old country’ and embracing those of the new. Ana has been on a journey. Croatian born, she’s arrived in the UK, determined to make it home. As she focuses on life in this new land, she is haunted by the voice of her Grandma calling for her to stay true to national identity and yearning for Ana to come home. But what is now ‘home’ to Ana? A play of love, loss, culture, heritage and new beginnings…?

Pepper and Honey premiered at Derby Theatre in Spring 2019 to critical acclaim, before opening the Voila! Europe Festival in London at the end of the year and embarking on an Autumn tour, that was cut short due to the pandemic.

Tina continued: “So far Pepper and Honey has received an incredible response from audiences and critics alike, and we are looking forward to taking the show across the UK in 2021. Whilst we now know that the UK is definitely leaving the European Union, we are still yet to find out the impact this will have on Europeans calling the UK ‘home.’ We are hugely grateful to The Library Presents for believing in our work and affording us the opportunity of presenting our vital piece of work to an online audience this year.

Tickets can be booked by visiting the Notnow Collective website.
https://notnowcollective.com/
Creative Team:
Written by- Kristina Gavran
Directed by- Tilly Branson
Designed by- Eleanor Field
Composer- Jovana Backovic
Lighting – James Stokes
Sound – Adam McCready
Movement Director- Kitty Randle
Performed by- Tina Hofman