As part of a slate of three unique shows at VAULT Festival 2023, Part of the Main has announced the cast for The Tinker, an eerie true crime drama based on a case from 1912. Their final show of the festival, The Tinker runs from Tuesday 14th to Sunday 19th February 2023. Written by exciting newcomer Olivia Foan (unsettling, evocative and wonderfully bold – Finborough Theatre), The Tinker is a punchy one-act that takes place in real-time. The play begins when married couple Evelyn and Frank receive an unexpected visitor on a snowy night, this twisting, unsettling tale that asks what we are willing to believe about the strangers at our door.
2019 Stage Debut Award winner, Lauren O’Leary will play Evelyn. Her turn in The Awkward Years (The Other Room) earned her the nomination. She is also known for Little Gem (Irish Rep, NYC) and her recent feature film debut in Marlowe opposite Diane Kruger and Liam Neeson. O’Leary will be joined by Keon Martial-Phillip will play Frank. Martial-Phillip trained at Intermission Youth Theatre and the Oxford School of Drama, his theatre credits include Summer Rolls (Park Theatre). The Tinker will be played by Giles Abbott. The UK’s only professional blind storyteller, Abbott tells award-winning stories for all ages at club nights, festivals and schools. He has worked with brands like ITV and Red Bull, using vocal skills to enhance presentations and speechwriting as well as teaching voice at drama schools. He is an experienced vocal coach and also works professionally as a voiceover actor.
Write, Olivia Foan, comments, As a writer, I think I am always looking to interrogate the more animal aspects of human nature. And there’s something very animalistic about our reaction to strangers. Whether those strangers are entering our country, or simply knocking on our door. The Tinker is based on a true crime case from 1912 – one that explores the stories we tell ourselves about people we don’t know. As we enter an age where the yawning wealth gap grows wider than ever before, wider even than in 1912, it’s clear we still share some of the same cultural pressures around morality, meritocracy & motherhood. The play unravels the ripple effect of these beliefs, that extends beyond simply the change in our back pocket.
Part of the Main (POTM) is a theatre company that champions new writing, emerging artists, and gender equality. POTM is passionate about new work that’s political, provocative, and accessible.
