Shedding A Skin is play about a young woman finding her way in the world. A story about healing, protest and intergenerational friendships and what we can learn from our elders.
Verity Bargate Award-winning playwright and actor Amanda Wilkin’s play has been chosen to relaunch Soho Theatre’s Summer programme and that’s a pretty big deal. When other theatres are opening this summer with either established names or productions that were programmed pre-pandemic or re-mounting existing plays, Soho Theatre has chosen to open with a fresh new piece of work that looks to the future with a very current voice.
A story for our times, Shedding A Skin is a story about finding kindness in unexpected places, moments of connection, intergenerational friendship and joy. It will be the first new play staged in front of live audiences at Soho Theatre since the pandemic and brings together the acting and writing talents of Amanda Wilkin and director Elayce Ismail, who also directed the sell-out hit GIRLS (Soho Theatre 2016).
It’s interesting to note that one of the main characters in the play is a formidable and inspirational figure from the Windrush Generation. The play’s press night opens on the anniversary of Windrush Day on the 22 June, so, quite apt.
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Amanda told us she wrote the play as a response to a world that felt polarising on race and that she felt empowered to write something that was first and most importantly joyful and embracing; about random acts of kindness, but also about how we can learn activism from our elders.
Wilkin, who will be performing in this solo play, said that she wanted to create a universal story that was “intrinsically hopeful” and “speaks to people no matter what gender, colour or age”. She added: “I’ve spent a lot of time thinking about what I’d want to see when I go back to the theatre and I want belly laughs and to feel invigorated.”
Director of the play, Elayce Ismail added: “It’s rare to find a story that has weight and depth but is ultimately very joyful and positive. The friendship at the heart of Shedding A Skin is so beautiful and poignant. It’s the unsung moments that happen between people in real spaces that are the fabric of our lives and they can be just as informative and important as the big wider world stuff.”
Shedding A Skin will run for five weeks in Soho Theatre’s Main House from 17 June to 17 July
Times: 7.30pm (3pm matinees)
Prices: From £10
Book here: click here
