I’m incredibly excited to get my directing hands on this incredible play, and to make my RSC debut. I’m currently putting the creative team together and look forward to casting it mainly next year. I’m also getting to know the lovely technical and producing teams in Stratford, and of course reading reading reading the play.
https://www.rsc.org.uk/whats-on/ - not many details here yet, but more to come when it goes on sale in February.
Life is a Dream was nominated for an incredible 6 awards at the CATS Awards this year. At the ceremony on Sunday 11th September at the Tron Theatre in Glasgow the production won
BEST DIRECTOR - Wils Wilson
BEST DESIGN - Georgia McGuinness, Alex Berry, Kai Fischer
BEST PERFORMANCE - Lorn MacDonald (Segismundo)
Added to Lorn MacDonald and Anna Russell-Martin's’ wonderful successes at the Ian Charleston Awards at the National Theatre in May.
The Ian Charleston Awards are theatre awards which recognise the best classical stage performances of the year by actors under 30 years of age. They are named after the actor Ian Charleston and are run by the National Theatre and the Sunday Times newspaper. Previous winners include Tom Hollander, Jessie Buckley, Cush Jumbo, Simon Russell Beale, Emma Fielding, Hammed Animashaun, Jack Lowden, Hattie Morahan and numerous other wonderful actors. So we’ll be hiring a charabanc and heading to the NT on 16th May and I’ll be cheering on the incredible Lorn Macdonald and Anna Russell-Martin, so cross your fingers and toes. What a lovely thing.
Although we are still not able to make theatre for live audiences in Scotland, there are a couple of pieces of my work that are available online -
I Want My Hat Back is now part of the National Theatre’s streaming channel and is available for rent here.
The Portal continues to get wonderful responses and is still available ‘wherever you listen to your podcasts’ - here for example.
If you would like to see any of the Lyceum Christmas Tales, please get in touch and I’ll try and arrange.
What was to be an immersive theatre show this summer on the South Bank became an audio podcast when the pandemic changed all our plans and live performance ceased. It’s been a wild journey of adaptation, remote recording, many hours with headphones on and a lot of cups of tea - and it’s finally here for you to listen to on Friday. Episodes 1-3 out 25th September wherever you get your podcasts and on Martin’s website here, with the next episodes released in the coming weeks.
Wonderful cast and line up of musicians, and the writing and sound world of the amazing Martin Green. Check it out, I hope you like it.
I’m also gearing up for a few days of development time on Life Is A Dream with writer Jo Clifford and an incredible company of actors at the Lyceum Theatre in Edinburgh. We’ll be reading Jo’s new script and beginning our work together before we meet for rehearsals in April. See here for more information and tickets.
I’m stepping back into the world of immersive performance to create PORTAL with inspiring musician and all-round creative powerhouse Martin Green. It combines theatre, live and recorded music and sound, experience and dance and we’ve been working on it with dramaturgy from David Greig on and off for a few months. See here for dates at the Southbank and tickets. More dates coming up soon.
In more catch-up news Cockpit was nominated for 3 Critics Awards for Theatre in Scotland - Best Director, Best Production & Best Ensemble. This was wonderful recognition for the production of this little known lost treasure of a play.
In catch-up news The Strange Undoing of Prudencia Hart won a prestigious Drama Desk Award 2017 for its New York run in the Unique Theatrical Experience category. See here for more about the awards.
The Strange Undoing of Prudencia Hart is nearing the end of its 6 month stay in NYC. It has been a fantastic run and audiences have ben incredible. Our last show will be 23rd April - there will be tears...
Candylion was nominated for Best Production for Families and Young People and Best Music and Sound at this year's Welsh Theatre Awards. We came away with one award on the night - Best Music and Sound - that chased away any Negative Vibes!
Great news that The Strange Undoing of Prudencia Hart will now play in New York to the end of March 2016.
I am excited and honoured to have been invited to become an Associate Artist at the Lyceum Theatre, Edinburgh. It's thrilling to be part of the future of the theatre under David Greig's new Artistic Directorship. His programme for 2016-17 is full of he sort of shows theatre makers yearn for - artist-led choices which also stem from a real vision of the theatre as a vital part of the cultural and political life of the city and beyond. Exciting times.
This season I will be directing two shows - WIND RESISTANCE by the brilliant singer-songwriter Karine Polwart, and THE HOUR WE KNEW NOTHING OF EACH OTHER by Peter Handke. More on these later.
The National Theatre of Scotland has been awarded the prestigious 2016 XIII Europe Theatre Prize - Theatrical Realities.
Wils was invited to be one of a small group of key artists and practitioners, critics and NTS staff who were invited to The National Theatre of Romania in Craiova, to the Europe Theatre Prize celebrations to take part in a panel event discussing the work of National Theatre of Scotland over its 10 year history.
The other prize winners were: Viktor Bodo (Hungary), Andreas Kriegenburg (Germany), Juan Mayorga (Spain) and Joel Pommerat (France), and a special prize was awarded to Romanian theatre director Silviu Purcarete.
I Want My Hat Back has been nominated for an Olivier Award 2016. Wonderful news!
Read MoreThe Strange Undoing of Prudencia Hart (National Theatre of Scotland) is touring the USA and Canada from the beginning of February 2016, then returning to the UK in the Spring to tour Scotland. Details, dates and venues are on www.nationaltheatrescotland.com.
Meanwhile I have now uploaded the second video I have made with Meilyr Jones - the gorgeous Featured Artist. Enjoy...
I've also just finished the editing process for a video for a second song on the album - Featured Artist - out later in 2016.
There's a new link on my site now to the music video I directed for Welsh musician Meilyr Jones last year. It's the title track of his brilliant new album, How To Recognise A Work of Art. It's the first music video I have directed and it was a fantastic experience working with Meilyr. It's a great song - enjoy.
The view from my cube - it has been sunnier, but it still looks gorgeous under a grey sky.
