‘Tis the season to be jolly – but the employees at Festive Pines are certainly not getting into the Christmas spirit.

Gabby has a first class honours degree and an MA but somehow is 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 Michael Bublé’s Feliz Navidad on repeat…

Jacqui Honess-Martin’s delightful festive comedy 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.

Jacqui Honess-Martin’s previous theatre credits as a Writer include Tell Out My Soul(Public Theatre, New York), We Have Fallen (Ideas Tap Underbelly Award, Edinburgh 2014) SMITH and an adaptation of Antigone (both InSite Performance).

Lisa Spirling returns to Hampstead Downstairs after directing sell out hits Fault Lines andDeposit. Other credits include Michael Frayn’s Here (Rose Theatre, Kingston) and Hundreds & Thousands (Soho Theatre).