Crush

Overview

An original theatre adaptation of Richard Silken's Crush—a poetry collection that offers a beautifully raw encounter with queer masculinity, desire, and loss. As Assistant Director, I worked alongside Director Sam Smith and a talented cast to bring this visionary adaptation to the stage.

The Production

Crush explores themes of desire, violence, tenderness, and the complexities of queer masculinity through Silken's distinctive poetic voice. Sam Smith's adaptation transformed these poems into a staged production that honored the collection's emotional intensity while creating new theatrical possibilities.

My Role

As Assistant Director, I supported Sam's vision throughout the production process—from early conceptual development through rehearsals to final performance. This included dramaturgy, staging support, working with cast on character and movement, and helping shape the production's visual and emotional landscape.

Collaboration

This production was made possible by The King's Players committee, our dedicated cast, and the concerted efforts of our technical, music, and editorial production teams. Theatre-making is fundamentally collaborative, and Crush exemplified the kind of generous, committed ensemble work that makes ambitious productions possible.

Reflection

Working on Crush deepened my understanding of how spaces—both physical and emotional—can be constructed through performance. The process reinforced interests in how cultural work creates community, how spaces enable expression, and how institutional support (or its absence) shapes what's possible in cultural production.

These questions continue informing current work on night-time urbanism and cultural policy—examining how cities enable or constrain cultural practice, and whose voices shape cultural spaces.