Hampstead Theatre Downstairs Autumn 2013 Season

The Hampstead Theatre Downstairs, an 80-seat studio below the main stage, has announced its autumn season of three new plays.

The Empty Quarter, by Alexandra Wood, directed by Anna Ledwich, 26 Sep to 26 Oct 2013. Dubai seems to offer British twenty-somethings Greg and Holly everything they could want: tax-free income, a brand new apartment and an exotic landscape waiting to be explored. But surviving on the edge of a desert in a society they don't understand proves more difficult than they could have imagined. In need of help they turn to fellow expats Gemma and Patrick but soon start to question why it is they came, and whether they'll ever get home...

Godchild, a dark comedy by Deborah Bruce, directed by Michael Attenborough, and starring Tracy-Ann Oberman , 31 Oct to 30 Nov 2013. Lou is getting on with her life, carefree and without ties. But this abruptly comes to a halt when her 19 year old god-daughter Minnie moves in to take up a place at university. Minnie's arrival shines a harsh light into the corners of Lou's life - revealing it to be not as it seems. Her relationships are complicated, her neighbours are closing in on her, and the clock is ticking. What does it mean to be a grown up?

Fault Lines, a comedy by Ali Taylor, directed by Lisa Spirling, 5 Dec 2013 to 4 Jan 2014. 7.32am. Christmas Eve. Disasters Relief's staff parties are legendary - but their aftermath cataclysmic. Nick and Abi wake amidst the carnage to breaking news: a massive earthquake has struck Pakistan. Gathering their clothes - and dignity - the race with rivals Oxfam begins. Who can be the first to dispatch branded aid in full view of the world media? And how far are they willing to go? With the appalling spectre of last night's antics hanging over everything, the day rapidly spirals into a dizzying web of secrets and lies.