Poet Luke Wright Chronicles the UK's Brexit Toll on 2017 Tour

Following the unprecedented multi-award winning success of his first stage play, What I Learned From Johnny Bevan, Luke Wright will return to his roots in the first half of 2017 with a 21-date tour, performing poems from his new collection The Toll, published in February 2017 (Penned in the Margins).

The poems in The Toll visit the flat-roofed pubs and half bought couches of Brexit Britain as it struggles with doubt, duty and half-cut nights spent shouting impotently at Question Time on TV.

Wright makes poetry accessible, normal even. His verse ranges from the laugh out loud funny to the tear-inducingly poignant and back again, as he effortlessly takes his audience with him on the ride switching emotional gears without missing a beat.

'I wrote these poems over the last three years' says Luke. 'There's a range of subject matter including lots of stuff about family, about England, and about heartache. It's about The Toll that life takes on you, but also about duty and trying to do the right thing. As ever in my work, politics and social issues always lurk in the background ready to pounce ...'

Spend an evening with a gifted and compelling raconteur at the top of his game, as he spits out visceral, inventive verse that sweats, bleeds and sings. See a video sample of The Toll here https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z1yWEfUyq9w

The Toll follows Luke's 2013 debut collection Mondeo Man, of which Huffinton Post noted 'If any contemporary collection is going to convince the unbeliever that poetry can be a riot of cheek, giggles, boobs, tears and Facebook - while keeping its artistic integrity firmly intact - Mondeo Man is it.' «««««

'Quite simply, this is the future of popular poetry' The Skinny

Luke Wright is a poet, theatre maker and broadcaster who has written and starred in eight solo shows of his poetry as well as 'What I Learned from Johnny Bevan', the play that sold out a three week run at London's Soho Theatre and toured extensively. It won a Fringe First award for new writing, The Stage Award For Acting Excellence and The Saboteur Award for Best Spoken Word Show. It is published in both hardback and paperback.

He tours the world each year (as far afield as China and Australia) with his unique brand of poetry and can often be seen opening for John Cooper Clarke. His verse documentaries on Channel 4 have been enjoyed by millions of viewers and his poems can often be heard on BBC Radios 3 & 4 and sometimes further afield. He has been a regular contributor to Sony Award-winning Saturday Live and has numerous main channel TV appearances under his belt. Luke curates the spoken word line-ups at The Latitude Festival, Festival Number 6 and The Edinburgh International Book Festival.

Tour listings info:

10 March 7.30pm Manchester The Edge, Theatre & Arts Centre Manchester Road Chorlton M21 9JG £12/£10 0161 282 9776 www.edgetheatre.co.uk

11 March Chesterfield Labour Club 113 Saltergate, S40 1NF 8pm £9 01246 208387

16 March Isle of Wight Ventnor Exchange 11 Church St, Ventnor PO38 1SW 8pm £10 01983 716767 www.ventnorexchange.co.uk

29th March London (Putney) Half Moon 93 Lower Richmond Rd, Putney SW15 1EU8pm £10/£8 020 8780 9383 www.halfmoon.co.uk

8 April Laugharne Weekend http://s452743659.websitehome.co.uk/

21 April Cambridge Junction Clifton Way CB1 7GX 7.30pm £12.50, £8 01223 511511 www.junction.co.uk

26 April London Bethnall Green Working Men's Club, 42-44 Pollard Row E2 6NB8pm £10 0207 739 7170 www.workersplaytime.net

27 April 8pm £14, £12 concessions Oxford The North Wall, South Parade OX2 7JN 8pm £14/£12 01865 319450 www.thenorthwall.com

12 May 8pm Diss Corn Hall St Nicholas Street IP22 4LB £10/£6 01379 652241 www.thecornhall.co.uk

19 May Brighton Festival The Spire, St Mark's Chapel, Eastern Rd, BN2 5JN 7.30pm £xx 01273 709709 www.brightonfestival.org

21 May London Lion & Unicorn Theatre 42-44 Gaisford St, Kentish Town NW5 2ED 7.30pm £8/£10 020 7267 2304 www.lionandunicorntheatre.co.uk

8 June Oundle Stahl Theatre West Street, PE8 4EJ 7.45pm £12/£10 01832 273930 www.stahltheatre.co.uk

16 June Poole The Lighthouse 21 Kingland Road BH15 1UG 7.30pm £10 01202 280000 www.lighthousepoole.co.uk

17 June Shrewsbury St Nicholas, 24 Castle St SY1 2BQ 7.30pm £10 0800 292 2116 www.chairhousepresents.co.uk

21 June Fareham Ashcroft Arts Centre, Osborn Road PO16 7DX 8pm £10 01329 223100 www.hampshireculturaltrust.org.uk/ashcroft-arts-centre

22 June Wivenhoe, British Legion, The Quay CO7 9BX 8pm £5 www.poetrywivenhoe.org

30 June Bridport Arts Centre South Street Bridport, DT6 3NR 8pm £12, £10 concessions 01308 424204 www.bridport-arts.com

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