Wink, Theatre 503

What makes a boy a man? Awkward teenager Mark escapes into the internet so he can wear a mask and pretend to be a different person. He befriends his teacher John Martin (who has a somewhat dubious past.) "He's sort of what I would like to be, maybe."
Wink emerged from the Old Vic New Voices programme, which nurtures young talent, and is a collaboration between playwright Phoebe Eclair-Powell (daughter of comedian Jenny Eclair) and director Jamie Jackson. His production of Alice in Wonderland at St Paul's Church in Covent Garden earned five star reviews. Wink marks Eclair-Powell's debut as a playwright.
The play incorporates a cinematic score, expressive dance-like movement and snappy, sharp dialogue."One of my questions was how do we stage the parts of the play that take place online," director Jackson explains, "And we found a language that uses a lot of movement and music to help us get into the characters' heads. It was important to us that the play feels like a celebration of everything that happens online, as well as discussing the dangers."
Leon Williams plays John— his credits include roles at the Globe, the Hampstead and the UK tour of One Man, Two Guvnors. In the part of Mark is Sam Clemmett, who recently appeared in Accolade at the St James Theatre.