The Sequel, a new comedy-drama from writer Lucas Closs, will play at the King’s Head Theatre in London from April 20-May 2, 2026.
Directed by Imy Wyatt Corner, The Sequel follows the journey of novelist Grace “GT” Thoth, as she revisits the café where she wrote her first book, reconnecting with John, the person on whom she based the character of her iconic mentor.
The story explores what happens when a novelist returns to the place she used as source material for her wildly successful novel, discovering herself both worshipped and cursed by the residents. It examines the impact of storytelling on real lives as characters are trapped by their own portrayals.
The cast features Jim Findley as John, Nisha Emich as Grace and Julia Pilkington as Martha.
‘Whatever you mentioned just became more of itself, whatever you left out, died.’
GT’s coming-of-age book established her reputation as a distinctive literary voice and made the village she grew up in a destination for tourists. In the years since it was published, the café has become a small museum dedicated to her work, preserved by John – famed as the gardening poet of her novel but now a weathered tour guide. GT is confronted with the impact her work has had on the area and its residents, as well as Martha, the café museum’s current owner, who resents the author for not putting her mum in the book.
Meanwhile, John attempts to inspire Grace to write something new to revive interest in the area – and thereby bolster his livelihood.
Set within a rural community reshaped by literary notoriety and tourism, The Sequel explores authorship, ego and responsibility with dark humour. The play captures the pull of nostalgia, the desire to preserve a place exactly as it was and the compulsion to record and shape our experience into narrative. It also reveals the complications that arise when real lives become ‘material’; at the heart of the play lies the question of our relationship to others and the moral questions that arise when they become resources in our own creative progress.
The production will feature a live musical score, adding texture and presence to the storytelling.
Peiyao Wang is the set designer, Ella Dale is the producer and Deniz Dortok is the composer.
Tickets here.
Top image: The Sequel artwork (image supplied)