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The Wife of Willesden

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Artistic Director’s Welcome

WELCOME TO THE WIFE OF WILLESDEN

This production invites us to come out of the cold and gather in the warmth of a British pub. Here, among the neighborhood regulars, we find a powerful reminder that sharing stories—and laughing together—are essential to our well-being.

The Wife of Willesden marks the playwriting debut of celebrated author Zadie Smith. Since Geoffrey Chaucer wrote The Canterbury Tales in the fourteenth century, the character Alison, the Wife of Bath, has shocked generations of readers with her no-holds-barred accounting of female power and pleasure. Now, Smith has brought Alison to new life in North West London as Alvita, who takes the stage to share the ways that her five husbands have, one after the other, all left her wanting more. Bawdy, vivacious, and irrepressible, Alvita teaches us—by trampling them—that plenty of taboos still surround the discussion of older women’s desires today.

Alvita’s tremendous energy, and her hilarious attack on centuries of prudishness, feel like such a vital gift for the present: the theater is filled with laughter. Recently, I was excited to read about the work of Natalie Dattilo, an instructor of psychology at Harvard Medical School who studies the ways that laughter can lower anxiety, reduce pain, and bring communities closer together. “In order to feel good,” Dattilo says, “we have to practice feeling good.” As director, I feel inspired by the idea that the theater, as a space to laugh together, might be a place where we can rehearse collective well-being. (In this context, I think it’s worth noting that Chaucer wrote his Tales—which are just as lewd and lively as Alvita—in the aftermath of the plague.)

This production comes to Cambridge from London’s acclaimed Kiln Theatre, located in the borough of Brent (which also includes Willesden). We are thrilled to celebrate the A.R.T. debut of this entire company, including director Indhu Rubasingham, who is Kiln’s Artistic Director. To learn more about these artists and this work, don’t miss the wealth of articles in the current issue of the A.R.T. Guide, including reflections on the Canterbury Tales by scholars at Harvard and Oxford, as well as a glossary of local London terminology from Zadie Smith.

Thank you for coming in from the cold and laughing with us.

Diane Paulus
Terrie and Bradley Bloom Artistic Director

A.R.T. in association with BAM
presents

The Wife of Willesden

A Kiln Theatre Production

Creative Team

First performance at the Loeb Drama Center on February 25, 2023
Production support of The Wife of Willesden is provided by The Linda Hammett Ory & Andrew Ory Charitable Trust.
Additional production support is provided by Brenda and Kevin Jarrell.
This production is supported, in part, by The Robert Brustein Endowment Fund for New Works.
Media Support of The Wife of Willesden is provided by WBUR.
Take Five ticket subsidies are supported by a lead gift and further supported by individual contributions.
A.R.T. Season support is provided by Harvard University, The Barr Foundation, The Bob and Alison Murchison New Work Development Fund, The Shubert Foundation, National Endowment for the Arts, Massachusetts Cultural Council, Bank of America, Barton & Guestier, Meyer Sound, and JetBlue.
Runtime: One hour and 35 minutes
This production includes strobe lighting, flashing lights, haze, slurs against women, sexually suggestive scenes, and representations of sexual and physical violence.

Company

Cast (in Alphabetical Order)

Marcus Adolphy

Winston/​​Mandela/​​Black Jesus

Marcus Adolphy

Marcus Adolphy

Winston/​​Mandela/​​Black Jesus

Marcus Adolphy

A.R.T.: Debut. Theater: Signal Fires, Eastern Angles-Hightide; One Man, Two Guvnors, Wolsey Theatre; The Convert, Gate Theatre; The Suicide, The Comedy of Errors, War Horse, National Theatre; Backseat Drivers, The London Theatre; Keeler, The Charing Cross Theatre; Macbeth, The Last Refuge Theatre; The Chicago Cowboy, Rosemary Branch Theatre; Twelfth Night, The Nursery Theatre; Keeping Mum, 1867, A Christmas Carol, Brockley Jack Theatre; The Children of Salt, Alma Theatre Bristol. Television credits include: “Hijack,” “The Sandman,” “Scott and Bailey,” “Father Figure,” “Doctors.” Training: London Centre for Theatre Studies.

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Sophie Cartman

Understudy for Alvita, the Wife of Willesden and Aunty P/​​​Old Wife

Sophie Cartman

Sophie Cartman

Understudy for Alvita, the Wife of Willesden and Aunty P/​​​Old Wife

Sophie Cartman

A.R.T: Debut. Theater: Richard III, All’s Well That Ends Well, Royal Shakespeare Company; Manor,  National Theatre; Four O’Clock Flowers, The Space Arts Centre; Doe for EtceteraFlush, The Winemakers Club; The Crucible, UK Tour; Staffroom, The Tristan Bates; Mules, The White Bear; Macbeth, Rochester Cathedral; Ring Round the Moon, Yokohama Theatre Group (Japan); Death of a Salesman, West End. TV/Film: “Sexy Beast,” “Doc Martin,” “EastEnders,” “Twirlywoos,” “Suspicion,” “Killer Doctors on Death Row,” “Kaseifu wa Mita” (Japan), Across the Ocean, Four O’Clock Flowers (Maya, BUFF Award, Best Actress), A Very Short Film About Longing (BBC), Evil Never DiesRepercussions. Radio: “Eulogies” (Fizzy Sherbet Plays); “Monster 1983” (Audible), “A Tokyo Murder” (Radio 4). Training: BA (Hons), Rose Bruford College.

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Goerge Eggay

Pastor/​​Eldridge

George Eggay

Goerge Eggay

Pastor/​​Eldridge

George Eggay

A.R.T.: Debut. Theater: Archbishop, The Last King of Scotland, Crucible Theatre; The Firm, Hampstead Theatre; Ear for Eye, Royal Court Theatre; King Lear, The Old Vic; The Tiger’s Bones, New Perspectives Theatre; Arabian Nights, New Vic Theatre; Dishoodbe on TV, Hackney Empire; Passage to Freedom, This Accursed Thing, Andrew Ashmore Associates; A Streetcar Named Desire, Frozen, The Power Book, The Wind in the Willows, National Theatre; The Evocation of Papa Mas, Told by an Idiot; The Ramayana, Birmingham Rep/National Theatre; Servant of Two Masters, Nottingham Playhouse; Crossfire, Paines Plough; Bretevski Street, Theatre Centre; The Robbers, Gate Theatre; The Meeting, Riverside Studios; Love of the Nightingale, Theatre Melange. TV/Film: “Casualty,” “Finding Alice,” Red Productions; “Black Earth Rising,” Drama Republic/BBC/Netflix; “Hugo Blick,” “The Love of Books,” Sam Hobkinson at Oxford Film & Television; “Mittens & Pants” (V/O), Disney; “Doctors,” “Shoot the Messenger,” “Spooks,” Between the Lines, BBC; All You Need is Kill, Warner Bros.; Final Passage, Passage Productions. Radio: “A Noise in the Night,” BBC Radio. Training: Drama Centre.

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Andrew Frame

Ian/​​Socrates/​​Bartosz

Andrew Frame

Andrew Frame

Ian/​​Socrates/​​Bartosz

Andrew Frame

A.R.T.: Debut. Theater: Small Island, Macbeth, Market Boy, Royal Hunt of the Sun, This House, National Theatre; Mumburger, Old Red Lion; 12 Angry Men, West End; Responsible Other, Hampstead Theatre; 66 Books, Bush Theatre; Wittenberg, Gate Theatre; The English Game, Rough Crossings, Headlong Theatre; Festen, Lyric Hammersmith Theatre. TV/Film: “Jewels,” “White House Farm,” “Save Me,” “Class,” “DCI Banks,” “Inspector George Gently,” “Silk,” “Holby City,” “Trial & Retribution,” “EastEnders,” “Doctors,” “The Bill,” “Wire in The Blood,” “Touching Evil,” London Road, Broken. Radio: “The Archers,” “Is He Still Breathing,” “Festen,” “Life Together.”

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Troy Glasgow

Darren/​​Young Maroon

Troy Glasgow

Troy Glasgow

Darren/​​Young Maroon

Troy Glasgow

A.R.T.: Debut. Theater: DNA/Babygirl/The Miracle, Harper Regan, National Theatre; There’s Only One Wayne Matthews, Crucible Theatre; A Streetcar Named Desire, Young Vic Theatre/St Ann’s Warehouse; Fatal Attraction, UK Tour. TV/Film: “The Bill,” “Holby City,” “Casualty,” “Skins,” Film credits include: The Day of the Triffids, Adulthood, London’s Burning, MI High, Mr. Harvey Lights a Candle, Shoot the Messenger, Piggy, World War Z.

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Claudia Grant

Polly/​​Sophie

Claudia Grant

Claudia Grant

Polly/​​Sophie

Claudia Grant

A.R.T.: Debut. Theater: Harry Potter and the Cursed Child (Original West End cast), West End; The Noble Nine, Tewl Theatre; The Tempest, Much Ado About Nothing, Grosvenor Park Open Air Theatre; Swallows and Amazons, Storyhouse Chester; Juicy and Delicious, Nuffield Theatre; Spring Awakening, Headlong Theatre/West Yorkshire Playhouse/Nuffield Theatre; Scarborough, White Bear Theatre; A Beautiful Recitation of Pi, Whitechapel Theatre; Knives in Hens, Camden People’s Theatre; The Lover, Finborough Theatre. TV/Film: “An Adventure in Space and Time,” “Doctors,” “The Bill,” “Being Me,” Invisible, Seeing Things. Training: LAMDA.

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Nikita Johal

Asma/​​Kelly

Nikita Johal

Nikita Johal

Asma/​​Kelly

Nikita Johal

A.R.T.: Debut. Theater: The World Goes ‘Round’, Yvonne Arnaud Theatre; Aladdin, The Harlington Centre; Princess Caraboo, Finborough Theatre; Children Of Eden, Union Theatre; Spring Awakening, Hope Mill Theatre; The Snow Queen, Liverpool Everyman Theatre; Broken Wings, The Other Palace/West End/Lebanon; Sleeping Beauty, Watford Palace Theatre; Aladdin, Newbury Corn Exchange; What the Ladybird Heard, West End/UK Tour; Migrations, Welsh National Opera UK Tour. Training: PPA, Guildford in Musical Theatre.

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Scott Miller

Ryan/​​Colin

Scott Miller

Scott Miller

Ryan/​​Colin

Scott Miller

A.R.T.: Debut. Theater: War Horse, National Theatre; Dragon, National Theatre of Scotland/Vox Motus; Don Quixote, Oran Mor; Hamlet, Three Sisters, LAMDA. Film: The Outrun, Brock Media/Arcade Pictures; The Road Dance, Wind Chill Media Group; Balance Not Symmetry, Dignity Films/Sparky Pictures; The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, Sky Arts/Cosmic Cat. Training: LAMDA.

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Jessica Murrain

Author/​​Zaire/​​Queen Nanny

Jessica Murrain

Jessica Murrain

Author/​​Zaire/​​Queen Nanny

Jessica Murrain

A.R.T.: Debut. Theater: The Last Dinosaur, The Herd Theatre; When the Daffodils, Orange Tree Theatre; Macbeth, Shakespeare’s Globe; A Christmas Carol, Royal Shakespeare Company; Peter Pan, Troubadour White City Theatre/National Theatre; King Lear, West End; DIGS, Theatre with Legs; Skate Hard, Turn Left, Battersea Arts Centre; The Long Trick, Wardrobe Theatre/Southwest Tour; Messiah, Bristol Old Vic. TV/Film: “The Baby,” Sky/HBO; “Soulmates,” Amazon Prime; “I Used to Be Famous,” “The Sandman,” Netflix; Blonde. Purple, Amazon Prime. Training: Royal Central School of Speech and Drama.

 

 

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Clare Perkins

Alvita, The Wife of Willesden

Clare Perkins

Clare Perkins

Alvita, The Wife of Willesden

Clare Perkins

A.R.T.: Debut. Theater: The House That Will Not Stand, Fabulation, Kiln/Tricycle; Sweat, Donmar Warehouse/West End; Emilia, Shakespeare’s Globe/West End; Welcome to Thebes, National Theatre; The Convert, Gate Theatre; Mules, Royal Court Theatre; Little Revolution, Almeida Theatre; Mrs. Dalloway, Arcola Theatre; Removal Men, The Yard; Genesis Inc, Hampstead Theatre; Generations of the Dead, Young Vic Theatre. TV/Film: “Professor T,” ITV; “I Hate You,” “Damned,” Channel 4; “The Wheel of Time,” “The Outlaws,” Amazon Prime; “Suspicion,” Apple TV; “Young Wallander,” “The Crown,” “Flack,” “Been So Long,” Netflix; “Pigheart Boy” (BAFTA, Best Children’s Drama), BBC; Ladybird Ladybird, Secrets and Lies, Bullet Boy (Best Actress, Screen Nation), Censor, Medusa Deluxe (Cinema release 2023), Embers (Cinema release 2023) . Radio: “The Lamplighter,” “Eight Point Nine Nine” (Gold Winner, ARIA Awards),” “Comment is Free,” “Paid Servant,” “Lifelines” (Best Original Series, Audio Drama Awards), “A Little Princess,” “Weak at the Top,” “Westway,” “Landfall,” “No. 10,” “Best Interests,” “The Archers” (Denise), “Happy Birthday Mr. President”.

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Ellen Thomas

Aunty P/​​Old Wife

Ellen Thomas

Ellen Thomas

Aunty P/​​Old Wife

Ellen Thomas

A.R.T.: Debut. Theater: Amen Corner, Kiln/Tricycle. Theater: Egusi Soup, Moon on a Rainbow Shawl, Almeida Theatre; Statement of Regret, The American Clock, Fuente Ovejuna, National Theatre; The Estate, Soho Theatre; Vagina Monologues on Tour, Blest Be the Tie, Royal Court Theatre; Twelfth Night, Royal Exchange Manchester; A Bitter Herb, Bristol Old Vic; Criminals in Love, Contact Theatre Manchester; Echo in the Bone, Lyric Hammersmith Theatre; Twelfth Night, Birmingham Rep. TV/Film: “EastEnders,” “Mount Pleasant,” “Rev,” “Teachers,” “Lenny Henry in Pieces,” “Cardiac Arrest,” “London Bridge,” “Holding On,” “The Jury,” “Buried Treasure,” “Death in Paradise,” “Max,” “In the Long Run,” “The Queen and I,” “Dark Money,” “Mount Pleasant,” “Critical,” “Humans,” “Come Fly with Me,” “Coming of Age,” “Casualty,” “Moses Jones,” “Outnumbered,” “Bremner and Fortune,” “Little Miss Jocelyn,” “Trial and Retribution,” “The Marshioness Disaster,” “Never Never Active Defence,” “Ultraviolet,” “Ruth Rendell’s Simisola,” “French & Saunders,” “Hallelujah Anyhow,” Mrs. Harris Goes to Paris, Golden Years, Love Punch, It’s a Lot, Ashes, Ryan and Ronnie, Clubbed, Breaking and Entering, Risk Addiction, South West Nine, Michael Winterbottom’s Wonderland, Some Voices, Secret Laughter of Women. Radio: “The Republicans,” “I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings,” “Singin’ and Swingin’,” “What Does the K Stand For?,” “Say Goodbye Twice,” “Why is the Sky So Blue?,” “Writing the Century,” “Statement of Regret,” “The Community,” “Silver Street,” “Face,” “Unspoken.”

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Understudies never substitute for listed players unless a specific announcement for the appearance is made at the time of the performance.

Additional Production Staff for The Wife of Willesden

Access Staff

Director of ASL: Kristin Johnson
ASL Interpreters: Julia Barnes, Sho Grant
Audio Description Consultant: Amber Pearcy
Audio Describers: Maria Hendricks, Mel Watkins
Open Captioning: c2 Captioning
Occupational Therapy Consultant: Mary Beth Kadlec
NICE(r) Relaxed Performance Consultants: Spectrum Theatre Ensemble

 

Special Thanks

Daniel Donoghue, Anna Wilson
All Kiln Theatre staff

Additional Lighting Equipment provided by Christie Lites

Program Notes

Scott Miller on the left has a wide grin, while Clare Perkins in a white veil and holding a bouquet of white flowers laughs. Behind them, Marcus Adolphy in a clerical collar and the company shout in celebration.

Winter 2022/23 Edition

Life of Pi and The Wife of Willesden both make their North American debuts at A.R.T. this winter. Both pieces are adaptations that examine the power of storytelling.

Read Now

Life of Pi and The Wife of Willesden both make their North American debuts at A.R.T. this winter. Both pieces are adaptations that examine the power of storytelling.

Read Now

About Kiln Theatre

About Kiln Theatre

“Kiln Theatre has revitalised the cultural life of Brent and brings world class theatre at an affordable price to people from all walks of life.”
– Zadie Smith

Kiln Theatre sits in the heart of Kilburn in Brent, a unique and culturally diverse area of London where over 140 languages are spoken. We are a welcoming and proudly local venue, with an internationally acclaimed programme of world and UK premieres. Our work presents the world through a variety of lenses, amplifying unheard/ignored voices into the mainstream, exploring and examining the threads of human connection that cross race, culture and identity.

“This place was a special cocoon. Now she has grown and blossomed into a beautiful butterfly.”
– Sharon D Clarke

We believe that theatre is for all and want everyone to feel welcome and entitled to call the Kiln their own. We are committed to nurturing the talent of young people and our local communities, to provide a platform for their voices to be heard.

“I wanted to say thank you for creating the most diverse theatre I have been to. In terms of race, culture, class, age, everything – not only in the selection of shows and actors, but in the audience.”
– Audience member, 2021

KilnTheatre.com
@KilnTheatre

Artistic Director: Indhu Rubasingham
Executive Director: Daisy Heath
Associate Director: Amit Sharma
Producer: Mirain Jones
Head of Creative Engagement: Romana Flello (Maternity Cover)
Head of Creative Engagement: Jenny Batt (Maternity Leave)
Finance Director: Sophie Norvill
Fundraising Director: Livvy Brinson
Head of Marketing & Communications: Amy Thomas
Head of Operations & Front of House: Simon Davis
Head of Production: Nicki Brown

Board of Trustees: Pippa Adamson, Nicholas Basden, Louis Charalambous, Dominic Cooke CBE, Moyra McGarth Brown, Sita McIntosh (Chair), Karen Napier, Shrina Shah, Zadie Smith, Christopher Yu

Registered Charity no. 276892.

Supported using public funding by Arts Council England; Lottery Funded

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Staff

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People chatting outside an events tent.

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About A.R.T.

Actors raise a glass in Natasha, Pierre & The Great Comet of 1812

About Us

Sam Hook, Artemis Wheelock-Wood, and Rachel Myers

Education & Engagement

Pippin Curtain Call at Opening Night

Membership & Support

ASL performers at a show.

Accessibility