Act of God, a powerful new play written by and starring Jacob O’Connor, will receive its London debut at Riverside Studios from 9 to 26 November.
Presented by Elissa Gerrand and WVFRM, the one-hour production explores masculinity, mental health and class through the story of Jack, a quick-witted young man reluctantly attending a ten-week therapy-via-poetry course.
Determined to avoid confronting his emotions, Jack finds himself challenged by a therapist whose simple question threatens to unravel the narrative he has spent years telling himself. As they talk, play chess and dissect the poems he brings to each session, buried truths begin to surface.
Written by Manchester-born actor, writer and poet Jacob O’Connor, Act of God draws on his own working-class upbringing and experiences as a former 12-time World Champion kickboxer. The play weaves poetry throughout its narrative to examine the coping mechanisms men develop and the emotional barriers they struggle to overcome.
O’Connor said: “Act of God lives in the gap between the truth and the version we tell ourselves when it is too tough to swallow. It follows a man from Wythenshawe who has spent years telling himself a story he can live with, until a therapist finds the one thing to get past his world-class verbal footwork: poetry. Every poem drags him back into a memory that won’t hold still, and every session becomes a game of chess between them. It’s about the guilt and pride men carry and never put down, and the silence between two people who both know the game being played. I spent years in a ring where the first rule is never let them see you’re hurt. This play exposes what happens when that rule is broken.”
The production is directed by Sean Turner and marks O’Connor’s debut play as both writer and performer. It is also his first role on a London stage.
O’Connor’s previous screen work includes Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning, alongside appearances in the short films Hitmen and Life of the Party.
Running for 60 minutes and recommended for audiences aged 15+, Act of God will play selected performances at Riverside Studios throughout November, with a press night scheduled for 10 November.
Listings and ticket information can be found here.
