For Emily is a new play from Liverpool born actor, writer and director Brian Wharton. It tells the story of a little girl who escapes into a fantasy world whilst watching her mother subjected to domestic abuse and it is being performed at the Lantern Theatre on November 29th and November 30th.
Child and mother take shelter in a women’s refuge where they meet the mysterious Sue who acts as a friend and mother to them both. The play draws to a gripping climax as both mother and father battle for custody of Emily with Sue in-between as a supportive but hostile witness! Who will win? The certainty is that everyone’s life is changed forever!
Brian’s writing first came to prominence in 1990 when he and an ensemble of new playwrights from the Hope Street Project put on a collection of 10 minute shorts which played to a packed audience at The Unity Theatre. Encouraged by this he went on to write, produce and direct his first full length play Horoscope (Horror-Scope) for two productions at the same theatre the following year. Several rehearsed readings followed whilst he continued to perform.
He was able to combine both when he took his self penned one man show Footballer’s Boyfriend to the Edinburgh Festival in 2007. In recent years he has had a go at stand up comedy and become a monologist even reading the female roles (like Willy Russell!)
Brian is also proud of his work with a leading mental health charity where he ran a drama group and penned two short plays one about shaking off stigma and the other about the struggle service users have in gaining meaningful employment, both subjects are close to Brian’s heart.
Tickets for the show are priced at £7 with concessions available at £5. Tickets are available from the Lantern Theatre Box office on 0151 7030000 or online at www.lanterntheatre.co.uk.