New season announced in Hampstead Downstairs

Hampstead Theatre has announced the autumn season in its Downstairs space – the 80-seat studio that premieres new plays away from the glare of critics.

Three plays by new theatre writers will premiere this season.

First up, Four minutes twelve seconds by James Fritz examines the effect of the ubiquity of smartphones on a teenage boy.

Running from 2 October to 1 November 2014 and directed by Anna Ledwich, it marks Fritz's full production debut.

Next, State Red. by Atiha Sen Gupta, which runs from 7 November to 6 December, is a "fiery family drama" centring on effect of an estranged son on his father's campaign to be Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police.

And rounding off the season, from 11 December to 17 January, is Rose Heiney's debut play Elephants, about a Christmas family gathering gone wrong.

Heiney – daughter of the broadcaster and critic Libby Purves – is an award-winning novelist and screenwriter whose television credits include Miranda, Fresh Meat and Big Bad World.