Punts is a hilarious and moving new play by Sarah Page about a young man's sexual awakening and its effect on those who orchestrated it. Drawn from the playwright's interviews with sex workers, Punts – produced by Kuleshov Theatre (BU21, Cans) - explores love in all its complex and contradictory forms.
Jack, a young man with a learning disability, lives at home, cared for by his devoted parents. Like most men in their twenties, he has needs – his mates at the rugby club talk about nothing but getting laid, whilst Jack's most erotic experience to date is the time he was winked at by the pretty cashier in Lloyds. Desperate for their son to not feel left out, his parents Alastair and Antonia decide that they should to bring in a professional. But Julia, the prostitute they hire, has a far more profound impact on the whole family than they could ever have imagined.
Writer Sarah Page comments, In researching Punts I interviewed a number of prostitutes, ranging from women on the streets, those employed in Soho walk-ups, to a retired dominatrix who used to earn an annual income higher than our Prime Minister. All of the women had, at some point in their career, worked with clients with disabilities. This production explores the question of whether sex is a human right - which should be accessible to all, whether disabled or able bodied.
Punts investigates the tensions of familial love, the excitement generated by erotic attachment, the jealousy of finding yourself loved less than another and the paradox of wanting to look after those you love while also wanting them to be free.
Punts was selected from over 1,200 entries as a finalist for the international Nick Darke Writers' Award 2016.
Performance Dates Wednesday 31st May – Saturday 24th June 2017
Tuesday-Saturday, 7:45pm
Saturday matinees on 10th, 17th and 24th, 3pm
Wednesday matinees on 7th and 14th, 3pm
Running Time 85 minutes
Twitter #PUNTS, @kuleshovtheatre, @SarahGPage
Writer Sarah Page
Director Jessica Edwards
Designer Amelia Jane Hankin
Lighting Designer Dan Saggars
Sound Designer Owen Crouch
Production Manager Will Herman
Stage Manager Annabell Arndt
Producer Kuleshov Theatre
Alastair Graham O’Mara
Julia Florence Roberts
Jack Christopher Adams
Antonia Clare Lawrence Moody
Location Theatre503, The Latchmere, 503 Battersea Park Road, London SW11 3BW, https://theatre503.com/
How to get there Theatre503 is located on above the Latchmere Pub on the corner of Latchmere Road and Battersea Park Road. The nearest underground stations are Sloane Square (on the Bakerloo and Northern lines then bus 319), South Kensington (on the Bakerloo, Northern, Circle and District lines) then bus 49 or 345, and Vauxhall (on the Northern and Piccadilly lines) then bus 34. The nearest rail station is Clapham Junction.
Box Office Tickets are available priced £15 (£12 concessions)
Wednesday matinees are £10
Pay What You Can Saturday matinees
Available from Theatre503 Box Office and https://theatre503.com/,
020 7978 7040.
Sarah Page
Sarah was born in Leicester and now lives in London. She took part in Soho Theatre's Young Writers' Programme the Royal Court Theatre's Young Writers' and Studio Writers' Groups. The recipient of two Peggy Ramsay Foundation Awards, Sarah's plays include The Sweethearts (Finborough Theatre, published by Oberon Books/Samuel French), The Night My Parents Went Away (Milano Theatre Festival) and Pilgrims (Etcetera Theatre). Sarah has also had performances of her work at the Arcola Theatre, Curve Theatre Leicester, Hackney Showrooms, Hampstead Theatre and Soho Theatre. She was a finalist for the 2016 Nick Darke Writers' Award. Sarah is Literary and Outreach Manager & Co-founder of Raise Dark Theatre Company and Literary Manager of Kuleshov Theatre. Sarah is currently taking part in the Channel 4 Talent 4Screenwriting programme and was named as one of the writers on the BBC New Talent Hotlist 2017.
Jessica Edwards
Jessica is a freelance director and Artistic Director of Flipping the Bird. She holds a first in English from Oxford University and has associate directed for the Almeida, the Jamie Lloyd Company, the Young Vic and in the West End. She is Resident Director of drag-girl-super-group Denim, who are associate artists of Soho Theatre. She is represented by Camilla Young at Curtis Brown. Recent directing: Torch (Latitude / Edinburgh Festival 2016); Haters Make You Famous (Almeida Theatre); Queering Marlowe (Jamie Lloyd Company / Duke of York’s Theatre); The Late Mr Shakespeare (R&D with RSC); The Cherry Orchard (Rose Bruford); White Hot & Weak (Old Vic New Voices Festival) The Box (Latitude / Theatre Delicatessen); The Itinerant Music Hall (Lyric Hammersmith / Watford Palace / GDIF / Latitude); Today (Rose Bruford); Jekyll & Hyde (Southwark Playhouse / Assembly Edinburgh); Pagan Parade (Les Enfants Terribles / Latitude); Punch (Underbelly); FOUND! (Old Vic Tunnels). She has also directed short pieces for the Arcola, Theatre503 and the Bush Theatre.
