What's On: Entertainment Previews

STAGE
Maras The Field Of Fire, Hackney Empire

The Maras Massacre is remembered in this play that marks the 30th anniversary of the event.

The writer and director are aiming to recreate a story they say has "been left in the dark".

The play has been written with the aim of marking the murder of hundreds of Alevis, a minority Muslim group in Turkey.

Expect a dark and serious affair as the tag line reads: "Those who won't walk in front of their living ones, will eventually walk behind their dead."

It is a stark warning for any audience member expecting a light-hearted night out.

This is not a production ideal for the casual theatre-goer looking for some easy entertainment.  

June 7, 7pm, £15-£20, 020 8985 2424, hackneyempire.co.uk, Rail: Hackney

STAGE
The Bay, The Space

Created in response to a murder of a new age traveller in County Cork, this production is a mixture of words, music, and physical theatre.

The play is billed as an energised performance that charts the disintegration of a community in harmony, from order to chaos.

It is presented by Fragments, an ensemble of actors and performers based in Ireland.

Expect the actors to contort and shout, sing and dance, and writhe around the stage apparently posessed.

Still, this is a serious piece with a serious subject matter.

But don't think that seriousness doesn't have the capacity to erupt into anarchy in the blink of an eye. 

June 9-14, 16-18, 8pm, £10 (£9), 020 7515 7799, space.org.uk, DLR: Mudchute

STAGE
Edinburgh Previews, The Albany

Some of these previews are set to be spliced between screenings of TV series MASH, which although a successful comedy in its own time, seems a slightly dated and odd choice when you consider the Fringe Festival is meant to be a showcase for new and alternative comedy.  

If re-runs of dated TV shows aren't your thing than an act worth looking out for is Daniel Rigby.

This young and confident comedian's apparently razor-sharp wit is almost guaranteed to slice into the sureal.

For something completely different try Nathon Caton a comedian, clearly influenced by the likes of Lenny Henry.

June 8-July 29, various times, £5 per show, 020 8692 4446, thealbany.org.uk, DLR: Deptford Bridge

COMEDY
Variety Lives, Stratford Circus

Variety Lives features ventriloquist Nina Conti with her depressed monkey. 

And producers will be hoping the monkey is the only individual suffering from depression at Stratford Circus as they have lined up a strong field of comedians to entertain.

Impressionist Steve Nallon, the voice of Margeret Thatcher on Spitting Image and Phoenix Nights' Barbara Nice, pictured, perhaps the world's only stage diving housewife, will also be appearing.

Completing the quartet for the evening, Carrie Quinlan brings a wry brand of observational humor.

With such talent on show the evening should prove to be a coulourful affair.

June 5, 8pm, £12.50 (£10), 020 8279 1015, stratford-circus.com, DLR/Jubilee: Stratford