Danielle Tarento and Tony Award winner Annaleigh Ashford to co-produce the UK premiere of the Off Broadway smash hitTHE WHITE CHIP at Southwark Playhouse
The White Chip
written, autobiographically, by Sean Daniels
Directed by Matt Ryan
Southwark Playhouse Borough
77-85 Newington Causeway,
London SE1 6BD
9th July – 16th August 2025
Despite spending more time drunk than sober, Steven McAlister has managed to graduate from college, create an extremely successful theatre group, get married, and thrive in a dream job at one of the most prestigious regional theatres in the United States.
Sure, it’s gratifying to go to an AA meeting where they reward you with a white chip token just for showing up, but does he really have a problem?
Even with an ailing father, a marriage on the rocks, and his professional life careening out of control, Steven has a carefully constructed balancing act that keeps it all together – until it all falls apart.
Told with humour, honesty, and compassion, The White Chip is about living with addiction and coming alive through recovery.
Cast to be announced.
Creative team includes:
Director Matt Ryan
Designer Lee Newby
Lighting Designer Jamie Platt
Sound Designer Max Pappenheim
The UK premiere is produced by Danielle Tarento and Annaleigh Ashford.
Sean Daniels said: “It’s an honour to get to work with Danielle Tarento and Annaleigh Ashford to bring The White Chip to London. After the response we had in New York – the mix of laughter-filled shows and someone saying ‘I’m ready to get help’ after every performance – we knew we wanted to keep this going as long as we could. When you write a comedy about recovery you hope it finds the right people, people who get your dark sense of humour – from actors to producers to audience – and how lucky am I that it has.”
The show premiered in New York at 59E59 Theaters and was most recently produced at The Susan & Ronald Frankel Theater at MCC Theatre by Tony® Award winning actress Annaleigh Ashford alongside Hank Azaria, Jason Biggs, and fellow Tony® Award winner John Larroquette. The play received widespread acclaim, earning a coveted New York Times Critics’ Pick.
Performing Recovery
The production is working closely with Performing Recovery, the public face of the Addiction Recovery Arts Network, a non-profit organisation which promotes, connects and shares creative recovery practices thereby reducing the stigma of addiction-recovery. A percentage of every ticket sold will be donated to Performing Recovery.
Leon Clowes, co-founder of the Addiction Recovery Arts Network, will be reading The Alcoholic’s Tarot for anyone with burning questions after the show. As an artist with lived experience of addiction, he offers light-hearted readings of your alcoholic misfortunes using his adapted tarot cards. He’ll also be available after each performance to offer support, advice and guidance or just to chat about anything that may have come up for audience members during the play.
He said: “Performing Recovery is delighted that Tarento Productions is the first major sponsor of our network and magazine. Our mission is to ensure that the arts are the driving force behind changing the conversation around addiction, so to be supported and partnered with one of London’s top theatre producers and to have the opportunity to work along-side her on The White Chip is game changing for us.”
The production is delighted to be partnering with Club Soda and sponsored by Everleaf.
Club Soda is a global mindful drinking movement that helps people change their drinking habits. Through events, courses, community support, and better drinks, they empower individuals to make choices that work for them.
They said: “Alcohol-free drinks are a vital part of creating an inclusive arts experience, and we’re excited to see more theatres beginning to embrace this. With a play that invites reflection on drinking habits, it’s powerful to see the theatre make that conversation tangible. Offering a delicious, adult alcohol-free option shows that choosing not to drink isn’t a compromise – it can actually make your night out even better.”
Everleaf was founded by a conservation biologist turned mixologist who knows the world’s plants and how to use them. They make non-alcoholic aperitifs with nature’s tastes, textures and aromas so bartenders and consumers can craft great drinks. Everleaf variants take inspiration from the natural world, from the crisp and refreshing notes of Everleaf Marine, to the bittersweet Everleaf Forest, and vibrantly aromatic Everleaf Mountain., all of which will be available throughout the run.
Sean Daniels
Sean Daniels is a leading voice in using the arts to defeat addiction. He is an internationally known theatre director, writer, and artistic director, known for new work and innovative community-based leadership. His play, The White Chip, a New York Times Critics’ Pick, has been performed around the world as a catalyst for community conversation and connection. He is the Director of the Recovery Arts Project and serves as the Anti-Stigma Director for Live Tampa Bay, where his geotargeted anti-stigma campaign reached almost 13 million people in eight weeks. A USF analysis of the program found that it had “significant impacts in aspects of nearly every domain of addiction stigma.” He’s coordinated and led recovery events with organisations like Tampa Bay Rays, City of Tampa, and been a speaker with the Clinton Global Initiative, SAMHSA, and Hazelden/Betty Ford. He’s currently coordinating mental health education efforts for Redwood on Broadway, and heading up the Clinton Foundation’s initiative to make all Broadway theatres recovery friendly. His op-ed in the Los Angeles Times about Matthew Perry’s passing and the stigma of relapses was read over 200,000 times. In the arts world, Sean has been named “one of the top 15 up and coming artists in the U.S., whose work will be transforming America’s stages for decades to come” and “One Of 7 People Reshaping and Revitalizing The American Musical” by American Theatre magazine.Talkbacks
On Thursday 17th July, Soberistas founder Lucy Rocca and Alcohol Change’s Brie Barros will be discussing ‘What Happens If I Don’t Want to Drink Anymore?’ following the show.
You can find more about the Soberistas online community here: https://soberistas.com/home
Alcohol Change is a national UK charity who provide support and advice: https://alcoholchange.org.uk/
On Wednesday 6th August, following the captioned performance, “Through an Addict’s Looking-Glass” author Waithera Sebatindira and music industry and diversity professional Paul Bonham will be
discussing ‘Is Addiction a Disability?
You can read more about Waithera Seantindira’s book here:
https://www.hajarpress.com/books/through-an-addicts-looking-glass
At both talkbacks, the guests will be in conversation with Performing Recovery’s Leon Clowes and taking questions from the audience. They are free to all ticket-holders for that night’s performance.
LISTINGS INFO
Danielle Tarento and Annaleigh Ashford
present
THE WHITE CHIP
by Sean Daniels
Directed by Matt Ryan
Location:
Southwark Playhouse Borough,
77-85 Newington Causeway,
London SE1 6BD
How To Get There:
The nearest stations are
Borough and Elephant & Castle
Performance Dates & Times:
9th July – 16th August at 7pm
(2.30pm Tuesdays and Saturdays)
Captioned performance on 6th August
Box Office link
southwarkplayhouse.co.uk/productions/the-white-chip/
Ticket Prices:
Pioneer Preview £12
Previews £18
Full price £32
Concession £26
Age Guidance: 11+
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