Emerging playwright and director Leo Russell’s latest offering, I Predict A Riot is a sharply witty, time-bending revenge play which examines queer love and resistance across three simultaneous storylines in 1996, 2016 and 2036.

Russell’s previous work has earned critical acclaim, including STRAPPED, described as ‘visceral, extravagant queer chaos’ (Bristol 24/7), and THIRSTY, described as ‘gritty, honest, and fast-paced’ (The Epigram).

Writer and director Leo Russell told QX: “Bringing this production to The Hope Theatre has been such a full-circle moment for us – me and the cast; we all started making theatre together at Bristol Uni, and we’re really excited to share our work with a wider audience. We’re super passionate about queer theatre and creating stories about gay resistance, because honestly we’re just sick of seeing gay people presented as victims – we see the news, the rising tensions around queerness as the far-right grows, and we wanna make work which is like f*ck it, blow up a car!”

In 2036, a liberal arts student named Claude is awakened at midnight by a captivating stranger who accurately predicts that Claude intends to kill her local Member of Parliament the following morning. This encounter reveals to Claude that time is not linear. In fact, her decision creates ripples that reach back across forty years to 1996 and 2016, when similar acts of resistance are being planned.

As timelines blur, Claude’s midnight visitor urgently tries to convince her to change her path by encouraging her to envision a better world. With sharp wit and electrifying performances, I Predict A Riot poses the question: Is hope truly sufficient when the odds are stacked against you?

The cast features Lizzie Kilbride as Brooke, Evanthe Gee as Charlie, Sam Wolffe as Arthur, and Jamie Druce as Sidney. Lily Walker plays Claude, while Connie James portrays Mira.

I Predict a Riot runs from 15 to 16 November 2026, at The Hope Theatre, Islington, London.

Tickets available here.

Leo Russell

Leo Russell is an emerging British writer from Folkestone who seeks to examine the queer British experience by testing the formalistic limits of live performance.