Pine

A delightfully unfestive comedy about a group of recent graduates doing seasonal work selling Christmas trees. 'Tis the season to be jolly. But the employees at Christmas Pines are certainly not. Gabby has a first-class honours degree and an MA, but somehow she's stuck – for the third year running – counting Norwegian Spruce. Betty wishes she was ice-skating with her mates at Somerset House rather than 'gaining work experience'. Joe is nursing a broken hand, and heart, by lugging trees. Taj can't decide whether he's in love with Gabby or Betty. And they're all being driven out of their minds by Christmas songs on repeat…Jacqui Honess-Martin's play Pine explores the value of learning on the job, the rose-tinted expectations of recent graduates, and the inability to see the wood for the trees. It premiered at Hampstead Downstairs, London, in December 2015.