Christmas at the Royal Court Studio has become synonymous with its annual Stocking Fillers showcase: a share-bag of short, sharp plays by emerging writers, each a member of the Royal Court’s writing groups. This year’s edition continues the tradition with an evening that is by turns witty, wistful and warmly communal- even if the tree’s a few baubles short of last year’s efforts. 

Across seven new ten-minute pieces, the programme offers a brisk carousel of tone and texture. One moment we’re dropped into domestic comedy, the next into something more quietly melancholic before being bustled into pure festive chaos. The performers, a lean, versatile cast of four- handle these shifts with unfussy precision. They slip between characters and genres with the ease of seasoned artists but never lose sight of the sincerity the format relies on. Julie Glover’s masterful subtlety provides a confident delivery of each and every character she portrays; her heart-breaking quieter moments are poignant and should be relished. Elsewhere, Joe Cowin gleams from wide-eyed child at Christmas, to home-sick soldier through to camp colleague at the office Christmas party. Bolstered effortlessly by the phenomenal Carl Cockram and Princess Khumalo, they’re a real festive force to be reckoned with.  

At its best, Stocking Fillers 2025 distils something truthful about the season: the odd blend of joy and melancholy that arrives, uninvited, with the fairy lights. There are plays here that land beautifully, offering sharp writing and surprising emotional lift within their compact run-times. A couple even draw bursts of laugh-out-loud recognition from the audience, testament to the writers’ knack for capturing the Christmas experience without lapsing into sentimentality. 

Not every piece sparkles quite as brightly. A couple of the shorts don’t quite deliver the payoff they promise, fading out just as they appear to be warming up. And in the process of refreshing the format, the production has lost one of last year’s unlikely gifts: the interludes. Previously serving as glittering garlands which provided a loose connectivity between the plays- musical, comedic, sometimes knowingly daft- they lent the evening a sense of cohesion and playful charm. Their absence is felt; transitions now come with a slight jolt, and the overall rhythm is just a touch choppier. 

Yet the production still succeeds where it matters. There is care in the performances, clarity in Jessica Meade’s direction, and an unforced generosity in the writing. Even when a piece wavers, the cumulative effect is often disarmingly heart-warming. Stocking Fillers remains the sort of seasonal theatre that leaves you a little lighter on your way out: not radically reimagining Christmas, but capturing it in small, honest flickers. 

For festive theatre that favours sincerity over spectacle- and local talent over names in lights- Stocking Fillers 2025 is an easy recommendation (and one that won’t pull too harshly on your purse-strings, either!) 

Playing at Liverpool’s Royal Court until Saturday 3rd January 2026. Further details and booking can be found here.

Tickets received in exchange for an honest review. #AD

Photography by AB Photography.