Big Shoes, a moving but comedic play about a family of comedians, made its premiere at The Hope Theatre in Islington earlier in the month and was written by ON Rowan Williams (class of 2008).

Big Shoes tells the story of two brothers – a former double act – reuniting at the funeral of their absent father, who in his living days was a famous clown. Despite the brothers’ deep love for each other, their bond is threatened by their own bitter grudges and bad habits. Big Shoes combines theatre with stand-up comedy and clown to explore ideas of family, community, and legacy, ultimately seeking hope and connection in our age of isolation. (taken from press release)

The play was directed by Tom Greaves, and was longlisted for the Theatre503 International Playwriting Award.

Big Shoes was well received by critics - it was described as "Unmissable...a wonderful and deeply moving show" by Everything Theatre and London Pub Theatres Magazine said Rowan's script was "expertly composed" and the play was "hilarious".

Rowan initially started his journey writing scenes for Dixon Cup and adding humour into his speeches for House Public Speaking.

Rowan says, "I got into writing comedy after my acting career stalled. Writing was a means of processing all the negative emotions that created - frustration, unhappiness etc. Despite that, the jokes always found a way to work themselves in. And it's only since I was diagnosed with ADHD at age 32 that I've had the motivation to manage a project as ambitious and as foolhardy as this."

Although this first run was relatively short, Rowan is hoping for another, longer run soon, and has his sights set on next year's Edinburgh Fringe. We wish him every success!