New Play HIDDEN to Premiere at Wandsworth Arts Fringe

Writer and filmmaker Gary Thomas has just completed a run of his play 'Hidden' at Theatre N16 at the Bedford pub in Balham, south London. Gary received a grant earlier this year from Wandsworth Arts Fringe to put on his show, a very personal one-man play about mental health issues. The show got good reviews from those who attended the four performances, with Jamie Eastlake, Artistic Director at Theatre N16, saying it was "brutally brilliant", and called for it to be seen by a wider audience.

Gary says "It was really great to put Hidden on in London. I heard about Wandsworth Arts Fringe giving out grants, and just decided to apply. Jamie at Theatre N16 was really welcoming, and it's great to have a venue that's about new writing and be able to put on the show without any upfront costs. I couldn't have chosen a better venue!"

This is the first time that Gary's worked with another director, Tom Latter, whom he met at a play writing workshop, and actor Adam Donaldson, who was recommended by Jamie.

Gary says: "As a writer you sitting in front of a laptop wondering whether things are just funny to you, but I got immediate feedback from Tom when I did one of his workshops through his company Sheer Drop Theatre. When it came to put a team together I wanted to learn as much as possible, so I asked Tom to direct, and actor Adam Donaldson really brought Sam to life, and came up with some great ideas for it. It was a real collaboration."

The play follows 'Sam' through life until he experiences an episode of psychosis following a police stop and search, and eventually recovers to lead a full, amazing life.