Spotlight on.. Lyndon Chapman
Lyndon (he/him) is a queer creator, born and raised in Margate, Kent.
Lyndon’s writing debut ‘Unnatural Deeds’ (2021) – a short film on sexuality in the 18th century – premiered at the BFI Southbank, and won Outstanding Live Action Film in his graduate showcase. It went on to be nominated for the Independent Talent Group’s (ITG) Screenplay Award at Watersprite 2022.
Under the Soho Theatre, Lyndon then developed and wrote his debut play ‘Is the WiFi Good in Hell?’ as a part of their Writers’ Lab (21-22).
We spoke to him ahead of bringing the play to the Tom Thumb Theatre, Margate on the 26th & 27th July.
Tell us a bit about yourself and growing up in Margate.
I’m Lyndon – a lanky left-handed Aries (probably anaemic). I was born in Margate in the 90s, my mum was born here in the 60s, and my Nan in the 1930s – we go waaay back.
How did ‘Is the WiFi Good in Hell?’ come about?
I had the biggest urge to get various things off my chest. I wasn’t sure on the medium, yet after I was offered a place on the Soho Theatre Writers’ Lab in 2021 – it spewed out into the play. It went on to be commissioned by Brixton House in 2023 for their Housemates Festival,
where it really came into its own. Then after an exciting rehearsal process, we’ve discovered new parts of the story and have a whole new show to share with audiences at the Tom Thumb.
You work with Director Will Armstrong on the show, how did that collaboration come about?
I put out an open call for a director, and I was overwhelmed in meeting so many talented people. Will had directed Abby Vicky-Rusells’s stand-out show of last year’s Fringe, GUSH, which was nominated for the BBC Popcorn Award. Will’s expertise, compassion and approach has cemented the play into what it is today, and I am forever thankful for his ongoing work on it.
How did you find the process of looking back on coming out in Margate?
It was a different time many years ago, and certainly in Margate. For unbeknown reasons, I bleached my hair and had a River Island satchel handbag – I never really did “come out”.
Despite the daily comments, I admire my younger self for being so ballsy. Questionable eyebrows though.
What can people expect when coming to see the show?
A one-man coming of age, starting in Margate in the noughties. It’s a show about queer people who don’t quite fit in, anywhere they go, desperate to be accepted by a community they feel distanced from and the resilience found when a community pulls together. I’d love for people to have a giggle (at my expense), enjoy a POSITIVE queer story and hopefully, feel a sense of euphoria and validation.
You’re taking the show up to Edinburgh this summer, can you tell us a little about that?
After our run at Brixton House, I was determined to get this show on at Edinburgh. We were then offered a slot at Underbelly, Cowgate. It was at that time I made the, financially mental, time to bring the show to Edinburgh, produced by Grey Castle Productions, in association with Brixton House. It’s been a LOT of work (especially for my producer, Simon). I’m in equal parts horrified and ecstatic for the opportunity.
Where does your work take you next?
Back to bed. (Also developing a new play for stage and two screen projects). If you’d like to keep up with what I’m up to, you can follow me on insta.
AND ON MARGATE – WHAT WOULD BE YOUR IDEAL MARGATE DAY?
I always take my friends who visit straight to The Shell Grotto! Can we please not normalise its existence?!
To find out more about Lyndon Chapman, you can find them on instagram @lyndonary and also visit https://bio.site/WiFiPlay to find out more information about ‘Is the Wifi Good in Hell?’.
Join Lyndon for ‘Is the Wifi Good in Hell?’
2008 Margate isn’t cool (yet). 12 year old Dev sits on a derelict shack, sandwiched between Margate’s sea and the abandoned theme park, Dreamland. He’s also recently discovered gay people exist… Is the WiFi Good in Hell? follows Dev from boyhood to adulthood. Margate to London. He’s gagging for a good connection, yet with his roots firmly intertwined in his hometown’s seabed – can he cope with the realities of a life he’s forever put on a pedestal?
Friday 26th July & Saturday 27th July.
8pm
Tom Thumb Theatre
TICKETS :
https://billetto.co.uk/e/is-the-wifi-good-in-hell-tickets-1000418