In Development: The Four Stages of Cruelty

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.