nut, The Shed, National Theatre

Do you want to be grabbed by the scruff of your neck and shaken until you get the message? If this sounds your kind of night out at the theatre, then nut could be just the ticket.

The award-winning black playwright debbie tucker green (she doesn’t hold with upper-case letters) is a key figure in the “in-yer-face” style of theatre, which uses extreme language and images to evoke in the audience the strong emotions being shown on stage. She has been likened to the late playwright Sarah Kane, whose controversial 1995 debut Blasted was demolished by critics for being gratuitously shocking. Although no stranger to audiences walking out, green rejects the comparison with Kane, preferring to cite the Jamaican poet Louise Bennett and songwriters Jill Scott and Lauryn Hill as her influences.

Staged at the Shed, the National’s intimate temporary venue on the South Bank, nut is green’s directing debut. Her plays – most of which have been produced at the Royal Court and the Young Vic - have an urgent, angry quality, which has won her accolades. She picked up the Laurence Olivier Award for Most Promising Newcomer for born bad, and she was awarded a BAFTA for random , which was broadcast on Channel Four.

Given the shock value inherent in her plays, the National is keeping fairly shtum about nut. We do know that it is set in present day London and takes place over one day. It follows the character Elayne and those individuals closest to her, charting the shifting dynamics as the histories of the relationships unfold. Suffice to say, expect the unexpected. Grab this opportunity before it disappears, both the show and the Shed. 

Suitable for 14 years and above

 Tickets: £12/£20

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