Stanley Walton, a theatre director from St Albans, is returning to his home city to premiere a new play at The Maltings Art Theatre in May. The play, Earth Hour, is the first production from theatre company On A Wimb.

On A Wimb was founded by designer Beth Colley, writer Jack Stanley and director Stanley Walton. The company began life at the start of 2019 but have gained enormous traction since Earth Hour was shortlisted for The LET Award - a scheme run by theatre company Les Enfants Terribles to help new work get off the ground.

Stanley said: “I’m thrilled to be coming home for this production. My love of theatre began when I was growing up in St Albans and the Maltings Arts Theatre have been a huge support. Having worked as their duty manager it means a lot that the theatre and OVO invited me to make a show for them! Environmental issues are close to my heart and our show aims to provoke further discussion.”

The play tells the story of Sasha and Dominic, who work in the production team on the nation’s biggest TV show: Earth Hour. A programme dedicated to environmental issues, the show gains notoriety when the UK government declares there are only ten years left until the damage caused by climate change is completely irreversible.

Fast-paced, gritty and alarming, the play reflects the frantic nature of TV production. But this hurried atmosphere of the studio soon gets in the way of the important message the TV programme is trying to communicate. Dominic and Sasha become embroiled in their own personal feud and they lose sight of the bigger picture.

Writer Jack Stanley said: “We started the company because we became increasingly worried about the lack of action over climate change. The news agenda in the UK has been so dominated by Brexit, it’s almost as if nothing else is happening. We hope this play acts as a reminder to audiences that real, urgent action is needed.”

The show is written by Jack Stanley, directed by Stanley Walton and designed by Beth Colley. The cast comprises Tom Crowhurst and Gabriella Margulies.

The play will run from Thursday, May 9, to Saturday, May 11, with all performances starting at 8.00pm.

Tickets are available from Maltings Arts Theatre box office on 0333 666 3366 or maltingsartstheatre.co.uk/event/earth-hour