Olivier Award winning playwright James Graham (Quiz, Labour of Love, Ink) and director Thomas Hescott will stage a new show at Wilton’s Music Hall inspired by Charles Dickens.
Graham and Hescott are looking for emerging writers to collaborate on the multi-authored project which is inspired by Sketches by Boz, Charles Dickens’ first novel which chronicled all walks of Victorian London Life.
The new play will be updated for the modern age, incorporating the broadest range of voices from across the community in a theatrical whirligig of wonder and imagination. Love Actually meets Magnolia on stage.
The creative duo want to hear from people currently underreprestented in the industry who have exciting and innovatice story and character ideas.
Successful applicants will receive £1,000 for their story, as well as expenses to attend a masterclass week with professional artists and writers.
James Graham said, “We’re all aware of the growing deficit of opportunities for emerging artists from working class, regional backgrounds. We know there are far too few writers finding stages who are women or people of colour, a mix of nationalities and faiths. We’re looking for a team of writers to contribute strands, to help us work together to interweave them, and collaborate on generating more, together.”
Thomas Hescott said, “You don’t have to have read or seen any Charles Dickens. What you may know, though, is that he wrote BIG STORIES. Life and death. Heroes and villains. High stakes, wants and needs. Who are the modern day pickpockets, money-lenders, street-sellers and Christmas Ghosts? You don’t have to know the entire plot yet. We just want an exciting ‘proposition.”
The deadline for submissions is 1 JUNE 2018 with further information here.
James Graham’s SKETCHING will run from 26 September 2018 until 27 Otober 2018 at Wilton’s Music Hall.
