Writing and Performing Important Stories

Let's talk about telling important stories. Theo Toksvig Stewart is a dyslexic writer and actor who trained at the Drama Centre London, and he wrote his first play Endless Second during a particularly dry audition spell. Endless Second deals with consent within a relationship and it received multiple five-star reviews as well as being shortlisted for two awards at the 2019 Edinburgh Fringe. It was then commissioned as an audio adaptation which was transmitted on BBC Radio 4 in March 2021. Alongside developing television ideas, Theo has been commissioned for a number of theatre projects and was part of the BBC Writersroom Drama Room scheme and the Minack Playwrights Programme. We talked about so much in this episode: Theo reminds us that what we do does not inform our whole identity, how he’s managed to lay down boundaries between work and life, the importance of asking if you’re the right person to tell a story as a writer, and his experience of taking a show to Edinburgh Fringe. We’d never met Theo before, and by the end of the conversation we felt like we’d known him for years. He opened up about the challenges he’s experienced as an actor and writer and offered a lot of wisdom from the journey he’s taken. Before you listen to this episode, please be aware that we talk quite candidly about rape and consent because of Theo’s play, Endless Second. We just want to let you so that you can make the decision that protects you. Here's a link to the Ted Talk Theo mentioned: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gyPoqFcvt9w Thank you so much for listening to this week's episode of Art-Work. Please share this episode with anyone you think would enjoy it too! If you want to financially support this independent project, you can leave a tip in our Patreon Tip Jar: www.patreon.com/join/artworkconversation Join the Art-Work Community Facebook Group to connect with other creatives, share your art, and continue the conversation about the joys and challenges of living an artistic life! www.facebook.com/groups/37078874