No longer booking
  • Venue Arcola Theatre, London
  • Performance dates Booking to 7 November 2026
  • Running time 90 mintes (without interval)

Book tickets for The Banality of Evil, blending satire, physical theatre and cabaret, at Arcola Theatre.

The Banality of Evil in London

Written and directed by Julia Pascal (Blueprint Medea, Crossing Jerusalem), The Banality of Evil: Hannah Arendt, France, 1940 has its world premiere at the Arcola Theatre from 7 October until 7 November 2026.

Blending satire, physical theatre and cabaret, the production draws on archival research and testimony to reveal forgotten histories of women caught between exile, imprisonment and survival.

At its centre is a pivotal moment in the life of 33-year-old Hannah Arendt that would later inform her writing on power and human rights.

Featuring an all-female, all-Jewish cast of fast-rising talent, this fearless new play unmasking the forgotten Jewish histories of French Internment Camp Gurs.

Book The Banality of Evil tickets

Book tickets now to the world premiere of The Banality of Evil, from Julia Pascal. Don’t miss out on this moving piece of theatre.

In May 1940, three German Jewish women are arrested in France — Hannah Arendt, who would become one of the 20th century’s most influential political theorists, the artist Charlotte Salomon, and the Communist schoolgirl Eva Daube.

Branded “Undesirables” and transported to Camp Gurs, they find themselves among thousands of prisoners held by the state that once promised them refuge. As German forces advance, each woman must confront an impossible choice: stay and hope for liberation, or risk her life to escape into a dangerous and unknown future.

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Performance Information

Check booking calendar for full details

Stars and Creatives

Who is in the cast of The Banality of Evil?

  • Hannah: Mai Weisz
  • Eva: Ariella Barnett
  • Trude: Pat Dynowska
  • Charlotte: Anna Eckhard
  • Narrator/Agathe: Helen Goldwyn

Who are the creative team of The Banality of Evil?

  • Writer & Director: Julia Pascal
  • Set & Costume Designer: Carmen Neat
  • Lighting Designer: Tony Simpson
  • Assistant Director: Andrius Maksimavicius
  • Musical Composition & Arrangement: Anja Fahlenkamp

Important Notes

Access Performances
  • Captioned: Monday 26 October, 7pm
  • Relaxed Performance: Saturday 24 October, 3pm

Venue Information

Arcola Theatre , 24 Ashwin Street , London, E8 3DL

Nearest Tube or Train: Dalston Kingslan, Dalston Junction

Nearest Buses: 149, 242, 6, 243, 38, 56, 30, 277

Directions

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Frequently Asked Questions

The Banality of Evil is playing at the Arcola Theatre in London
The running time of The Banality of Evil is 90 mintes (without interval)
Yes, The Banality of Evil has matinee performances on the following days: Saturday
No, sorry, The Banality of Evil has now completed its run and is no longer on sale.

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