We are once again in production! After a long workshop and planning stage Simple 8 are now hard at work on our next production: The Four Stages of Cruelty, a new play by Stovepipe (National Theatre) writer Adam Brace, based on the engravings by William Hogarth.

1751. London is an overcrowded city. Prostitutes, link-boys, footpads and highwaymen coalesce with dukes, lords and ladies. Sinking within this morass is an orphan named Tom Nero, who is locked in a brutal and compelling struggle to survive, as he grapples to rise above the fate society has dealt him. Depicting this story is The Four Stages of Cruelty, a series of engravings by William Hogarth, whose prints were a moral elucidation for the masses.

As with all our projects, we have researched and work-shopped the material. We now have the plot, characters and ideas for the more physical sequences in place. We intend to continue developing the piece through further workshops before completing a working script.

We’re all very excited about the new project as we’ve already been playing around with the material for 6 months. We’ll be updating the website regularly with our progress in the coming months.

Development on this, our new website has been slow but steady and we now have all of our old press clippings in one lovely warm reviews section. Have a look by clicking the link on the top of the page or right here.

As always, Simple 8 continues to provide a platform for new writing. Lunch Date allows new work to be performed to scratch level by putting together writers, actors and directors, giving them development time and a performance space.

We are always looking for new submissions - if you are a writer, director or actor interested in developing new work, get in touch by emailing chris@simple8.co.uk