Denise Gough, Freddie Fox, Robert Bathurst, Sacha Dhawan, Tracy Ann Oberman and an all-star cast are revealed for the fifth annual Platform Presents West End Gala.
The game of Consequences – drawing an image, turning over the page to hide it and passing it on –
often ends in astonishing and eye-wateringly funny results.
Now inspired by this “what will happen next?” children’s game, and for a one night only fundraising gala evening at the Savoy theatre on Monday 15 May, Oliver Chris and Katie-Ann McDonough will direct a play-about-making-a-play where everything that can go wrong does.
Seven writers working in isolation will collaborate on one script. They will be briefed on the entire plot, the characters and what happens in their scene – but will not be able to read the scene before
or after theirs!
The cast confirmed so far includes:
Bessie Carter (‘Bridgerton’, ‘Howard’s End’, ‘Doc Martin’)
David Mumeni (‘Stath Lets Flats’, ‘The Pentaverate’, ‘Dead Pixels’)
Denise Gough (‘Andor’, ‘Paula’, ‘People, Places and Things’)
Freddie Fox (‘Slow Horses’, ‘Whitehouse Farm’, ‘The Crown’)
Jack Wolfe (‘Shadow & Bone’, ‘The Magic Flute’, ‘Inside No 9’)
Jade Anouka (‘His Dark Materials’, ‘Cleaning Up’, ‘The Drowning’)
Kerry Godliman (‘After Life’, ‘Whitstable Pearl’, ‘Trigger Point’)
Manjinder Virk (‘Midsomer Murders’, ‘Trigger Point’, ‘The Arbor’)
Pippa Bennett-Warner (‘Gangs of London’, ‘See How They Run’, ‘Obsession’)
Sacha Dhawan (‘Doctor Who’, ‘The Great’, ‘After Earth’)
Sam Phillips (‘Bridgerton’, ‘The Crown’, ‘The History Boys’),
Robert Bathurst (‘Cold Feet’, ‘Downton Abbey’, ‘Toast of London’)
Tracy Ann Oberman (‘EastEnders’, ‘Friday Night Dinner’, ‘After Life’).
The writers are:
David Mumeni (writer of ‘I’m Not That Kind of Guy’, Cem in the multi-BAFTA winning Channel 4
comedy series, ‘Stath Lets Flats’)
Frog Stone (‘Bucket’, ‘Avenue 5’, ‘Juliet Naked’)
Helen Kingston (‘Half Bad’, ‘The Flood’)
Isaac Tomiczek (Time Out Runner Up, Platform Presents Playwright’s Prize 2022)
Manjinder Virk (‘Midsomer Murders’, ‘Out of Darkness’, ‘Glow’)
Olivia Nixon (‘The Mother/Daughter Moment’, ‘Guilt Trip’, ‘Reluctant Persuaders’)
Peter Fellows (‘Veep’, ‘Avenue 5’, The Death of Stalin’)
This evening of comedy is the fifth annual fundraiser to raise money for the Ambassador Theatre Group Playwright’s Prize in association with Platform Presents, with five Runners Up prizes supported by Time Out. It promises to be one of the best fun nights out in the West End.
The Playwright’s Prize was founded in 2018 by non-profit Platform Presents CIC to nurture and
provide more opportunities for playwrights. In the first year 176 scripts were submitted. Last year, in its fourth year, 1,174 scripts were submitted and Platform Presents partnered with one of the leading live entertainment companies in the world, Ambassador Theatre Group, on the prize re-naming it the Ambassador Theatre Group Playwright’s Prize in association with Platform Presents. Also in 2022 international city media brand Time Out partnered with Platform Presents and Finite Films to announce five new £1,000 cash prizes for runners-up. Ambassador Theatre Group and Time Out are confirmed to partner again this year.
The annual prize and fundraiser is co-produced with Finite Films & TV, founded by Amy Gardner, and judged by a high profile group of industry experts. In 2023 this includes actors Indira Varma, Leah Harvey and Pippa Bennett-Warner. The winner receives £5,000 and mentoring to bring their play to stage and or screen. The five runners up each receive £1,000.
Mark Cornell, CEO of Ambassador Theatre Group said: “Storytelling is our craft, visceral experiences is our area of expertise. This prize and the ‘Theatrical Consequences’ Gala are the perfect vehicles to raise funds to support rising star talent.”
Writers who wish to enter the prize can submit full or partial scripts of up to 10,000 words directly onto the website www.platformpresents.com until midday on May 15th 2023.
