Silvertown by Jonny Wooster

Excerpts from a new play by Jonny Woo; a work in progress sharing.

Excerpts from a new play by Jonny Woo; a work in progress sharing.

It’s 1967, closing time at The Kent Arms, a gay pub on The Albert Road in the Royal Docks. Ted, the long serving barman and Rachel (Raymond), pub landlord are closing up after a night which was supposed to be a celebration of the passing of the new laws which partially legalised sex between consenting men.

Jonny Woo has been developing this fictitious story based on anecdotal stories about the very real Kent Arms Pub and the area of Silvertown and North Woolwich. He presented a sharing of a first draft of the play in 2021 and has intermittently been working on the play since then. This is an opportunity to see where the play is now following further developments in his writing practice and the sharpening of the story.

The evening will include rehearsed readings of scenes by actors and will be followed by a Q&A and opportunities to share thoughts on the lives of gay men and queer people then and now and the process of writing and researching the play.