A father waits for his son. Kids hang around skipping school. Fights break out after nights of drinking. Featuring five actors in fifty roles Boys on the Verge of Tears is a bold, kaleidoscopic tale of violence and vulnerability, set entirely in the confines of a men’s public toilet.
‘Wild, thrilling, brutally honest and beautifully tender. This is a truly extraordinary new play.‘
Written by Sam Grabiner, the 2022 winner of Soho Theatre’s acclaimed Verity Bargate Award, Boys on the Verge of Tears is a ‘brutal, tender’ exploration of what it is to be a man and is directed by James Macdonald, whose highly acclaimed productions include premieres by Caryl Churchill, Annie Baker and Sarah Kane.
‘A fearless, funny, heart-stopping play about being a boy and becoming a man‘
Boys on the Verge of Tears was selected from 1,500 entries to the Verity Bargate Award, sponsored by Character 7. The award’s main prize is a fully staged production at Soho Theatre. The judging panel included industry experts James Graham (Dear England; The Crown), April de Angelis (Jumpy, Royal Court; West End), and BAFTA-nominated Theresa Ikoko (Girls, HighTide & Soho Theatre). Previous panellists have included Phoebe Waller Bridge, Laura Wade and Russell T Davies.
There will be a Q&A with Sam Grabiner after the matinee on Sat 27 Apr.
Captioned performance: Wed 1 May, 7.15pm
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Cast
Matthew Beard
Matthew Beard
His performance in And When Did You Last See Your Father? gained him nominations for a British Independent Film Award and an Evening Standard British Film Award. Other film credits include: The Imitation Game, An Education, and Johnny English Strikes Again.
David Carlyle
David Carlyle
His extensive theatre credits include You Stupid Darkness! (Paines Pough), The Telltale Heart directed by Anthony Neilsen and Carpe Diem directed by Jo McInnes both at the National. Television credits include Lip Service (BBC Three), The Bodyguard (BBC), and Russell T. Davies’ acclaimed It’s A Sin, which saw David nominated for the BAFTA for Best Supporting Actor. He has recently been seen in the second series of Iain Stirling’s Buffering (ITV) and series two of Screw for Channel 4. He will next appear in Dinosaur (BBC/Hulu).
Calvin Demba
Calvin Demba
He has worked with James Macdonald, director of The Wolf From The Door, and Simon Godwin who directed Routes, at the Royal Court. Calvin Demba’s big screen credits include: Idris Elba’s Yardie and Annabelle Attanasio’s Mickey And The Bear, which made a splash at Cannes in 2019. On the small screen Calvin can be seen in Amazon’s The Rig. He starred in Mike Bartlett’s highly praised BBC1 drama Life and Sky Art’s drama Madonna and Basquiat. He was nominated for Young Shooting Star at the Screen Nation Awards, and Best Emerging Talent at Movie Video & Screen Awards for his role in E4’s Youngers.
Tom Espiner
Tom Espiner
His film credits include Stoned and his television includes: Chloe, The Crown, and Ancient Rome. Tom is co-founder of Sound&Fury Theatre Company and has co-created and performed in all its productions.
Maanuv Thiara
Maanuv Thiara
He currently features in the second series of ITV’s Trigger Point. Prior to this he starred in Jed Mercurio’s ITV crime drama Di Ray alongside Parminder Nagra. In theatre, Maanuv most recently starred in Vinay Patel’s adaptation of The Cherry Orchard at the Yard, after taking the stage in Indhu Rubasingham’s production of The Father And The Assassin at the National Theatre. He featured alongside Andrew Scott in the West End transfer of Hamlet, directed by Robert Icke and featured in A Passage To India at the Park Theatre, directed by Sebastian Armesto.
Creative Team
Sam Grabiner
WriterJames Macdonald
DirectorAshley Martin-Davis
Set & Costume DesignPeter Mumford
Lighting DesignerIan Dickinson
Sound DesignerZoë Thomas-Webb
Costume SupervisorAlex Kampfner
Assistant DirectorClaire Gerrens
Lighting AssociateEnric Ortuño
Intimacy and Fight Co-ordinatorAmy Ball CDG
Casting DirectorTom Nickson
Production ManagerEve Allin
Associate ProducerPhotos
Meet the writer and director
