Entertainment

Ilford Boy gets world premiere at the Donmar this October

Xanthe BramwellPublished 2w ago2 min readBased on 6 sources
Ilford Boy gets world premiere at the Donmar this October
Photo by cottonbro studio on Pexels

A mixed-race teenager growing up in 1990s East London takes centre stage in Ilford Boy, the new play from Danny Lee Wynter.

The show will receive its world premiere at the Donmar Warehouse in London. That means this is the first time the play has been staged anywhere. First-look rehearsal photographs by Helen Murray were published on 22 September, according to WhatsOnStage.

Previews start on 10 October. The official opening, also known as press night, is on 20 October. The run ends on 28 November.

The first four performances are previews. Those are early shows before press night, played in front of a paying audience. Evening performances run Monday to Saturday at 7.30pm, with matinees on Thursdays and Saturdays at 2.30pm, according to the Donmar Warehouse.

Tim Sheader directs the production. He is also artistic director of the Donmar Warehouse. The Donmar describes Ilford Boy as a funny, moving drama.

The story follows Ted Martin, a mixed-race teenager growing up in 1990s East London. Wynter has billed it as a family drama. It was announced in January as completing the Donmar's line-up of world premiere plays, according to The Stage.

Leo Whitfield-Harris leads the company as Ted. He is joined by eight other actors.

Lindsey Coulson plays Eileen, Cary Crankson plays Trevor, Gershwyn Eustache Jnr plays Ken and Aaron Gill plays Raj. Charlotte Jaconelli plays Ann, Jodie McNee plays Jackie, Craig Stein plays Patrick and Ria Zmitrowicz plays Tillie.

McNee joined the company in August, replacing Sinéad Matthews, according to The Stage.

The creative team includes Peter McKintosh as set designer and Ryan Dawson Laight as costume designer.

The Donmar is offering £20 tickets for audience members aged 35 and under for the run. The venue announced the offer on 1 September.

What makes this stand out is the setting. Small. Specific. East London in the nineties, seen through one family. The Donmar is a compact central London house, so seats are limited across the seven-week run.

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