By Grace Hatchell- who is on her way to get a ticket.
The Dawn of Reckoning arrives at White Bear Theatre this March
Grace had barely finished sorting the morning post when a rather intriguing envelope slipped into the satchel. Inside was news of a brand-new world premiere heading to one of London’s most beloved fringe venues.
The Dawn of Reckoning, a new play by Mark Bastin, will receive its world premiere at the White Bear Theatre in London from 17 to 28 March 2026, with press night on Thursday 19 March at 7.30pm.
Grace always enjoys a play that begins with a mystery, and this one arrives with the sort of opening that makes you lean in a little closer.
Two women.
A deserted hotel lounge at the dead of night.
A reunion that might not be quite as accidental as it first appears.
The story unfolds in the lounge bar of the Clevedon Hotel in Bayswater at three o’clock in the morning on a foggy January night. Helena, a paediatric neurosurgeon, and Ruth, a children’s book illustrator, were once the closest of friends after meeting at university.
But time has passed, life has changed, and the two women have been estranged for more than twenty-five years.
Grace suspects there is always a story behind friendships that quietly fall apart.
Helena, once a fiercely independent punk spirit, and Ruth, the more reserved daughter from the home counties, seem to have drifted apart over a man they both loved at different points in their lives. Now both women are sixty-five and meeting again after decades of silence, the question slowly emerges.
Did this reunion really happen by chance?
Written by Mark Bastin, The Dawn of Reckoning is described as a powerful two-hander exploring friendship, loss, guilt and the possibility of redemption when it seems almost too late. By turns moving and comic, the play asks a difficult question that many people quietly carry with them: how do we move on from tragedy when the hardest person to forgive is ourselves?
Grace does like a play that looks straight into the uncomfortable corners of life.
The production is directed by multi award-winning director Matthew Parker and produced by MBA Productions. Bastin previously wrote the critically acclaimed To Have and To Hold, which received strong reviews across the London fringe scene.
The cast brings together two highly experienced performers. Jilly Bond will play Ruth, with Bryonie Pritchard taking on the role of Helena.
Bond’s theatre credits include productions at the National Theatre, Birmingham Rep and Manchester’s Lowry Theatre. She has also narrated more than 500 audiobooks and appeared on television in programmes including Widow’s Might on Sky Arts and Doctors.
Pritchard’s theatre work includes productions at Shakespeare’s Globe, the Old Vic and the New Vic Theatre, alongside television appearances in Emmerdale, Casualty, EastEnders, The Bill and Nighty Night.
Behind the scenes, the creative team includes writer and producer Mark Bastin, director Matthew Parker, designer Hannah Williams and lighting designer Abbie Sage.
Grace always says a good two-hander relies on three things: strong writing, fearless performances and a director who understands when to let the silence do the talking.
And judging by the talent involved here, audiences at the White Bear Theatre may well find themselves leaning forward in their seats long after midnight strikes.
Listings information
The Dawn of Reckoning
Written by Mark Bastin
Directed by Matthew Parker
White Bear Theatre
138 Kennington Park Road
London SE11 4DJ
17 to 28 March 2026
Tuesday to Saturday at 7.30pm
Tickets
£17 full price
£13 concessions
Box office
whitebeartheatre.co.uk/whatson/the-dawn-of-reckoning
Cast
Jilly Bond as Ruth
Bryonie Pritchard as Helena
Creatives
Writer: Mark Bastin
Producer: MBA Productions
Director: Matthew Parker
Designer: Hannah Williams
Lighting designer: Abbie Sage
About the Author
