CLARE PERKINS TO LEAD THE COMPANY OF
ZADIE SMITH’S DEBUT PLAY THE WIFE OF WILLESDEN
TICKETS NOW ON SALE – over 3,000 tickets at just £15
With NW Trilogy by Moira Buffini, Suhayla El-Bushra and Roy Williams entering previews next week, Kiln Theatre Artistic Director Indhu Rubasingham announces dates for her next production of Zadie Smith’s The Wife of Willesden, presented by Kiln Theatre in association with Brent 2020, London Borough of Culture. Clare Perkins leads the company as Alvita – The Wife of Willesden, with the production opening on 17 November, previews from 11 November, and running until 24 December. Tickets are on priority sale to Kiln Card holders now, and on general sale on Friday, 3 September 2021.
Indhu Rubasingham, said today, “I’m thrilled to announce new dates for The Wife of Willesden. For the past 18 months, the amazing freelance creative team and I have been working on redesigning and reimagining the Kiln auditorium, transporting Zadie’s larger than life characters to the Sir Colin Campbell pub. It’s going to be the perfect place for you to spend a joyous, celebratory winter’s evening with the fantastic Clare Perkins who will lead the cast as Alvita, the formidable Wife of Willesden.”
The Kiln Theatre auditorium will be transformed into the infamous Sir Colin Campbell pub, complete with some pub tables in the stalls and over 3,000 tickets available at only £15.
WORLD PREMIÈRE
Kiln Theatre presents
in association with Brent2020, London Borough of Culture
THE WIFE OF WILLESDEN
Adapted by Zadie Smith
From Chaucer’s THE WIFE OF BATH
11 November – 24 December 2021
Cast includes: Clare Perkins.
Further casting to be announced.
Directed by Indhu Rubasingham; Designed by Robert Jones; Lighting Design by Guy Hoare;Composition and Sound Design by Ben and Max Ringham;Associate Costume Designby Kinnetia Isidore; Casting by Julia Horan CDG; Movement Direction by Celise Hicks; Fight Direction by Kev McCurdy; Dialect and Voice Coach Hazel Holder; Associate Director Hannah Hauer-King.
A proper local legend. Married five times. Mother. Lover. Aunt. Friend. Alvita will tell her life story to anyone in the pub – there’s no shame in her game. The question is: are you ready to hear it? Because this woman’s got the gift of the gab: she can rewrite mistakes into triumphs, turn pain into parables, and her love life’s an epic poem. They call her The Wife of Willesden…
A play that celebrates the human knack for telling elaborate tales, especially about our own lives.
Critically acclaimed, multi-award winning, best-selling author Zadie Smith makes her playwriting debut, transporting Chaucer’s The Wife of Bath to 21st Century North West London.
Director Indhu Rubasingham invites you to take your seat at the bar, order a pint or two, and listen to this bawdy, beautiful new comedy up close, and very, very personal.
Presented by Kiln Theatre in association with Brent 2020, London Borough of Culture.
This production is supported by Dasha Epstein and The Wife of Willesden Circle.
Clare Perkins plays Alvita, The Wife of Willesden and will soon be seen in Amazon series The Offenders and fantasy series The Wheel of Time. She was recently in Netflix series Young Wallanderas well as a guest role on popular series The Crown and Flack. She recently starred in a leading role in Emilia, which played at the Vaudeville Theatre. She has multiple theatre credits under her belt at some of the most prestigious theatres ranging from Welcome to Thebes at the Royal National Theatre, Little Revolution at the Almeida, The Convert for The Gate Theatre, Mules with the Royal Court and Genesis Inc at the Hampstead Theatre.
She is well known for playing series regular, Ava Hartman in BBC’s Eastenders. Other credits include BBC’s Death in Paradise, Damned for Channel 4, Netflix’s Been So Long. In film, Clare can be seen in Ken Loach’s Ladybird, Secrets and Lies directed by Mike Leigh and Saul Dibb’s Bullet Boy. She’s also in Censor which has just been released in cinemas. She has been a member of BBC Radio Drama Company and played Mel in Westway which ran for 8 years on the BBC World Service.
Zadie Smith is the author of the novels White Teeth, The Autograph Man, On Beauty, NW, and Swing Time, as well as three collections of essays, Intimations, Changing My Mind and Feel Free and the collection of short stories, Grand Union. Her novels have won multiple literary awards and been translated into many languages. White Teeth was adapted for the stage at the Kiln Theatre in 2018. She is a professor of fiction at New York University and writes regularly for the New Yorker and the New York Review of Books. Zadie Smith divides her time between New York and London.
Indhu Rubasingham is Artistic Director of Kiln Theatre. Her work for the company includes The Invisible Hand, Pass Over, When the Crows Visit, Wife, White Teeth, Holy Sh!t, Red Velvet (which transferred to New York and later to the Garrick Theatre as part of the Kenneth Branagh Season) and Handbagged (winner of Outstanding Achievement in an Affiliate Theatre – also West End, UK tour, Washington DC and New York). Other productions for Kiln Theatre include A Wolf in Snakeskin Shoes, Multitudes, The House That Will Not Stand, Paper Dolls, Women, Power and Politics, Stones in His Pockets, Detaining Justice, The Great Game: Afghanistan, Fabulation and Starstruck. Other theatre credits include The Great Wave, Ugly Lies the Bone, The Motherf**cker with the Hat (Evening Standard Award for Best Play), The Waiting Room (all National Theatre), The Ramayana (National Theatre/ Birmingham Rep), Belong, Disconnect, Free Outgoing, Lift Off, Clubland, The Crutch and Sugar Mummies (Royal Court Theatre), Ruined (Almeida Theatre), Yellowman and Anna in the Tropics (Hampstead Theatre), Secret Rapture and The Misanthrope (Minerva, Chichester Festival Theatre), Romeo and Juliet (Chichester Festival Theatre), Pure Gold (Soho Theatre), The No Boys Cricket Club and Party Girls (Theatre Royal Stratford East), Wuthering Heights (Birmingham REP), Heartbreak House (Watford Palace Theatre), Sugar Dollies and Shakuntala (Gate Theatre), A River Sutra (Three Mill Island Studios), Rhinoceros (UC Davis, California) and A Doll’s House (Young Vic).
SEE IT SAFELY
Kiln Theatre has been granted the use of Society of London Theatre & UK Theatre’s See It Safely mark. The mark certifies that they are complying with the latest Government and industry COVID-19 guidelines, to ensure the safety of their staff and audiences. Ticket holders can find out more here [https://officiallondontheatre.com/see-it-safely/] about the measures that have been put in place ahead of their visit, and what they will need to know beforehand.
Kiln Theatre
Listings
269 Kilburn High Road, London, UK, NW6 7JR
Box Office: 020 7328 1000
Tickets from £15
All tickets for first preview £15
Kiln Card Priority Booking, 1 September 2021, 12pm
General Onsale, 3 September 2021, 12pm
11 November – 24 December 2021
Post Show Q&A 23 November, 7.30pm
Captioned Performance (Socially Distanced) 2 December, 7.30pm
Audio Described Performance (Socially Distanced) 9 December, 7.30pm
Gala Performance 10 December, 7.30PM
At the Gala Performance, every ticket includes a complimentary drink upon arrival, a free programme and other surprises to be announced. All proceeds from the evening are in aid of Kiln Theatre, helping them to create innovative productions, make theatre available to their local community and to connect everyone, whatever their background, through the power of performance.
Under 26 – £10 (subject to availability)
Access, Over 65, Local, Student and Group rates available, for further details, please see the website
Multi-buy – 25% off if tickets for NW Trilogy and The Wife of Willesden are bought in the same transaction.
Subsidised tickets
We offer free tickets and exclusive discounts to those who can’t afford to come. If you fit any of the below criteria, get in touch and we can help you get a ticket.
If you are homeless, out of work or receive Housing Benefits, Income Support, Jobseeker’s Allowance or Employment and Support Allowance (valid ID, statements or proof universal tax credit will be required when collecting tickets).
Employees of NHS, Police Force, Fire Brigade, Armed Forces, The Coastguard, RNLI, Prison Officers or Social Care Workers (valid ID payslip and name badges will be required when collecting tickets).
Email [email protected]