Putney Theatre Company will start its autumn season with a production of Mammals, by renowned actress Amelia Bullmore, to be staged in the round. Productions in the round are a rare occurrence as they present challenges to cast and director alike, but the reward is an intimate and compelling theatrical experience for the audience.

This production of Mammals demonstrates Putney Arts Theatre’s keenness to encourage young and up and coming talent. Charlotte Ive, its twenty-seven year old director, has already put on three shows at the venue and also writes and produces, as well as being the theatre’s assistant artistic director. Her previous directing credits include Death and the Maiden by Ariel Dorfman and she is writing a new show to be staged in December.

She says: “Mammals will be staged in the round, something that will hopefully articulate much of the intimacy of the text, letting the audience feel as if they have entered this family's home and are sitting in their living room whilst the drama unfolds.

The beauty of setting things in the round is also that the audience is always fully aware that they are watching a play, so whilst the action may feel 'real', there is never any attempt to convince them that they are not watching a fiction. Asking the audience to have this sort of dual understanding offers them a rewarding evening’s entertainment, where not quite everything is created for them and their response is hopefully much more personal.”

Playing Lorna, the icy girlfriend of Phil, whose arrival is the catalyst for much of the play’s drama to unfold, is another of Putney Arts Theatre’s young stars: Freya Finnerty. Freya has secured a place at Central School of Drama to study an MA in Classical acting starting this October and has also been a familiar face at Putney Arts Theatre of late, having starred in recent productions of Dennis Potter’s Brimstone and Treacle and Wonder of the World by David Lindsey Abaire.

Playwright Amelia Bullmore is best known as an actress, having appeared in a diverse range of programmes, from cult comedy series such as Big Train and I'm Alan Partridge to more serious fare in the drama State of Play and the smash hit Ashes to Ashes.

Although Mammals is Bullmore's first play, she has written episodes and material for various television series, most notably This Life, Big Train and Jam. Mammals seems to embody both television and theatrical sensibilities, offering dialogue which is very naturalistic, sharp and kinetic, whilst embracing theatrical conventions that allow elements of the play to be slightly abstract and visceral.

Mammals; Putney Arts Theatre, Ravenna Road, Putney from September 16-20, 7.45pm. Call the box office on 020 8788 69434, £7/£5 concessions Tuesday, £10/£7 concessions Wednesday to Saturday. Visit putneyartstheatre.org.uk for full autumn season schedule.