Stouffville playwriter/actor in West End debut
Samantha Wright, who grew up in Stouffville and attended Unionville High School’s Arts York program, is appearing in the UK premiere of The Viewing Room by Daniel Joshua Rubin, which opens March 4 at The Arts Theatre in London’s West End.
The Viewing Room also stars Leonard Roberts, known to many fans as D.L. Hawkins in the hit television series Heroes, and James Flynn who, along with Sam, is a co-founder of Practicum Theatre, the company presenting the play. James, in addition to his live theatre credits, has appeared in a number of television programs, including The Tudors and Ballykissangel.
Award-winning playwright and actor Samantha Wright, seen here with Sam Collings in a play call ‘The Position,’ is appearing in the UK premiere of ‘The Viewing Room’ in London’s West End in March. The play, a psychological thriller set in the near future, also stars Leonard Roberts of the hit TV series ‘Heros,’ and James Flynn, who appeared in ‘The Tudors’ and ‘Ballykissangel.’
Sam has won several Canadian awards for excellence in playwriting. She completed the Young Writers Programme at the Royal Court Theatre in London in 2004. Her play Hush premiered at the Edinburgh Festival in 2005, where it received a Fringe First nomination, and later transferred to London.
The Fetch, her current play, was workshopped on the Stratford Fringe and subsequently won the Theatre BC playwriting contest’s Special Merit award in 2006. As a result, the play is being mounted in London in April, and in BC in May.
As an actress, Sam has performed in Toronto, London and New York. She is a graduate of the Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts’ Acting Shakespeare course and appeared in the feature film Lie Still.
Getting a well known actor to star in The Viewing Room was a key element of Practicum’s strategy. “Leonard got involved because since we’d secured a West End venue, we needed a star name to sell the show,” said Sam. “Myself and my colleagues spent the better part of two months contacting all of these LA agents and Leonard was interested in doing it and came out as our top choice.”
The experience was surreal, she noted. “I was a secretary by day, and calling top LA agents by night.” It didn’t hurt that Leonard Roberts had a personal link with the play, added Sam. “He participated in a development workshop for the play 10 years ago at Steppenwolf Theatre in Chicago, but when the actual performance at Steppenwolf came along, he was too young to play the role. Now he’s perfect for it.”
The Viewing Room is a psychological thriller set in the not too distant future, when an overcrowded penal system results in an initiative — part of the government’s ‘War on Violent Crime’ — requiring citizens to act as prison guards in their own homes. In Britain, a country which has the world’s large concentration of surveillance cameras and displays an increasing tendency towards government interference in private lives, this dystopian tale has particular resonance.
Amnesty International has selected Practicum Theatre’s production of The Viewing Room to be part of the program of events celebrating its 60th anniversary and is planning a charity gala for the opening night, with all proceeds going to support Amnesty. The play runs until March 29.
While Sam is thoroughly enjoying life in the UK, she remains strongly connected to her home town. “Although London is obviously an exciting place to be and full of wonderful career opportunities, I miss Stouffville’s friendliness and warmth,” she said.
“Coming home regularly is really important to me, because it balances me, and helps me re-connect with the things that are most important in my life – my amazing family, lifelong friends, and a sense of home. Having grown up in Stouffville with that kind of support network helps me to be brave and take risks in other areas,” she said. “I feel really lucky.”
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