Sketching

Casting has been announced for James Graham's new play Sketching which opens at Wilton's Music Hall later this month. Nav Sidhu (How I Live Now, The Kumars), Penny Layden (RSC, National Theatre, Call the Midwife), Samuel James (Birds of a Feather, National Theatre’s Twelfth Night, Bryony Lavery’s Stockholm), Sean Michael Verey (Pramface, Radiant Vermin, Tonight with Donny Styxx) and Sophie Wu (Fresh Meat, Kick Ass, Black Mirror) will star in Graham's new play inspired by Charles Dickens 1836 novel Sketches by Boz. The play follows numerous character in an overlapping tale set over 24 hours in the life of London. Sketching is a multi-authored play written by Olivier award-winning playwright James Graham (This House, Quiz, Labour of Love), in collaboration with eight emerging writers. Graham and director Thomas Hescott sought new voices from an open application process, where emerging talents – particularly those currently underrepresented in the industry – could submit an exciting and innovative story and character ideas. Writers Aaron Douglas, Chloe Mi Lin Ewart, Alan Gordon, Adam Hughes, Ella Langley, Himanshu Ojha, Sumerah Srivastav and Naomi Westerman were picked and have been collaborating with Graham and Hescott on the final script, in which the cast members will play multiple characters each night. James Graham said, “To create a brand-new show for this gorgeous old Victorian Music Hall has been such a creative joy. I look forward to taking an audience on a real journey into hidden parts of this city...” Find tickets to James Graham's Sketching James Graham’s Sketching is booking from 26 September 2018 until – 27 October 2018 at Wilton’s Music Hall, London.

Wilton's Music Hall have announced their 2018 Autumn season with highlights including ENO performing Paul Bunyan, James Graham's Sketching and Christmas classic The Box of Delights. The season opens with English National Opera performing Benjamin Britten's retelling of the legend of the mythical giant Paul Bunyan. It will be the first time ENO has performed at Wilton's and forms part of its ENO Studio Live series which seeks to present the immense power of opera in intimate theatre environments. Paul Bunyan runs from 3 – 5 & 7 – 8 September. One classic follows another, with Watermill Theatre's bold and beautiful retelling of Shakespeare's Twelfth Night (12 – 22 September) coming to the magical surroundings of Wilton’s by way of a 1920’s speakeasy. Set in the Roaring Twenties, where prohibition is rife and Europe is still reeling in the wake of war, Shakespeare's classic tale has an energteic jazz soundtrack. Inspired by Dickens’ first novel Sketches by Boz, James Graham's Sketching (26 September – 27 October) sets out to explore the diversity and intricate stories that make up London. Eight emerging writers have been picked to co-author the piece which is led and crafted by Graham. Stephen Macdonald’s acclaimed production Not About Heroes (31 October – 11 November) concludes an acclaimed two-year tour, with a limited run at Wilton's. Not About Heroes is a tale of friendship, joy and loss, exploring the relationship between two of the most celebrated World War One poets Wilfred Owen and Siegfried Sassoon. BalletBoyz make their Wilton's debut with Young Men (13 – 17 November), a poignant and powerful hybrid of live dance and film bringing to life their Rose d’Or award-winning film which chronicles the experiences of those sent to fight in The Great War. A glorious fusion of theatre, cabaret and drag, Dietrich: Natural Duty (19 – 24 November) is an intoxicating one (wo)man show revealing the life of a legend, Marlene Dietrich. Piers Torday's adaptation of John Masefield's novel The Box of Delights (30 November – 5 January) returns for the Christmas season. The critically acclaimed production follows a schoolboy who is entrusted a box that will see him drawn into an ancient magical struggle that not only sees him fighting for his life but to save Christmas itself! The season also includes the return of the uproarious Carradine’s Cockney Sing-a-long (6 August), showings of silent classics with the Pie Face Silent Comedy Film Festival (7-10 August) and OneTrackMinds (6 September) where a vibrant selection of writers, musicians and thinkers celebrate the power of music by sharing stories about the one song that changed their life.

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. Buy tickets to Sketching James Graham’s SKETCHING will run from 26 September 2018 until 27 Otober 2018 at Wilton's Music Hall.