Empty In Angel, an inspirational new play about the gig economy, returns to London following its sell-out success in 2019.
Empty In Angel tells the true story of a bicycle courier and her community’s astounding fight for workers’ rights.
The play follows central character ‘Watsie’ (because they’re from Watford) around London by bike, from gig to gig. Watsie, played by Darcy Willison (BBC Casualty, Lord of The Flies at The Greenwich Theatre), encounters an array of characters en route, also masterfully played by Darcy. Under the direction of Katherine Reilly (Face the Camera and Smile, In the Dollhouse, The Trials of Frankie Flynn), a story unfolds showing the collective effort of this community to improve their working conditions which ends in a historic legal battle.
When Law Society Policy Adviser James Woolf attended a presentation on the gig economy, he was inspired to write a play. To ensure the accuracy of the script, Woolf enlisted the help of the Independent Workers of Great Britain (IWGB), the trade union that supported the couriers through the original court case, and worked with a number of the plaintiffs, but extensively with the courier at the heart of the tribunal, who Watsie is based on.
Following a sell-out run at the White Bear in November 2019 and becoming a finalist at the 2020 Standing Ovation Awards, Empty In Angel will be touring four London venues this Autumn; the Etcetera Theatre and the Hen and Chickens in September, the Bloomsbury Theatre in October, and the Old Red Lion Theatre in November.
Writer James Woolf says: “This is about something happening right now. I want to bring attention to the fight gig economy workers face today against an exploitative employment model in a dynamic and informative way. Bringing this piece back following the pandemic is even more crucial as the gig economy expanded so much last year to meet consumer demands. I really hope audiences leave with a little fire in their belly.”
The Empty In Angel tour starts on 10th September at the Etcetera Theatre at 7pm and finishes at The Old Red Lion on 20th November at 7:30pm. Tickets start at £12. All performance dates and locations can be found here.
