Brighton’s New Venture Theatre offers an October double bill – Sea Wall by Simon Stephens, directed by Frankie Knight and W.M.D. Woman of Mass Deception, written and directed by Strat Mastoris.

Tickets at www.ticketsource.co.uk/newventuretheatre/e-agpljm

Spokeswoman Elysa Hyde said: “Sea Wall, the hauntingly beautiful monologue by acclaimed playwright Simon Stephens, will be performed by Jon Cottrell in his debut performance at NVT. This intimate and emotionally charged piece will run from October 3-11 at New Venture Theatre.”

Director Frankie Knight is thrilled to bring Sea Wall to life in the intimate NVT Studio, with deliberately minimal and stripped back space, allowing the words and performance to take centre stage: “It’s the perfect setting for this one-man play, drawing the audience into Alex’s world and holding them there with quiet intensity. Sea Wall is a masterclass in storytelling, raw, poetic and profoundly human. It explores themes of love, loss, and the fragility of existence through the eyes of Alex, a photographer whose life is irrevocably changed by a single moment.

“Jon Cottrell brings a fresh and deeply moving interpretation to the role of Alex. His performance is honest, vulnerable, and quietly powerful – qualities that make this production a truly immersive experience. Watching Jon inhabit this character has been a privilege, and I believe audiences will be captivated by his ability to connect so viscerally with the material.

“Sea Wall is not just a play—it’s an emotional journey. Whether you're a seasoned theatre-goer or new to the stage, this production promises to be a memorable and thought-provoking experience.”

Elysa added: “W.M.D. Woman of Mass Deception comes from writer-director Strat Mastoris who grew up on Homer’s classic story of the Trojan War, the seduction of Helen and the great Greek expedition to get her back and to punish Troy. Upon checking maps, he was struck by its strategic location, right at the mouth of the narrow channel linking the Mediterranean to the Black Sea.

“The Trojans would have been able to control and tax all the goods passing their city and raise tariffs to punitive levels, rather like President Trump is doing these days. He was inspired to write this Bronze Age story, which turns out to be right up to date. “Politically, the Greeks would have needed an excuse to attack Troy. Strat reimagined Helen as a Woman of Mass Deception - W.M.D. and set her up as a honey-trap who seduced the Trojan prince Paris, and not vice-versa.

“W.M.D. also refers to the illusory Weapons of Mass Destruction that served as an excuse for Tony Blair and George Bush to attack Saddam Hussein’s Iraq in 2003. Nothing much changes in politics in three and a half thousand years.”

The cast is Mark Lester as King Agamemnon, Jo Salter as his daughter Iphigenia, Kasha Goodenough as Helen, Jeremy Crow as the Treasurer of Mycenae, and Rich Watkins (in his first NVT role) as the wily Odysseus/Tony Blair.

New Venture Theatre, Bedford Place, Brighton & Hove, BN1 2PT; 01273 746118