Supporting Wall

This article is about the theatre company. For the structure in construction, see Load-bearing wall.

Supporting Wall was an award-winning London-based theatre and general arts production, promotion and management company, founded in 2008 by producers Ben Monks and Will Young and operated for nine years until 2017.^[1] The company's own productions primarily focused on new writing and contemporary theatre, while management and publicity work has included projects across theatre, comedy, film, festivals, live music and dance - including work at the BFI Southbank, Royal National Theatre and many others.^[2] During most of this time, Ben Monks and Will Young were also based at the Actors Centre as creative producers for the Tristan Bates Theatre.^[3][4] In November 2023 Will Young was appointed executive director of London's Royal Court Theatre.^[5]

Productions

Supporting Wall's original productions include:

Production	Writer	Director	Venue	Year
Blue Heaven	Tennessee Williams	Abigail Graham	Finborough Theatre, London[6]	2009
Big Breath In	Oscar Wood & Company	Matthew Evans	Tour, London & South East	2009
Three Shit Hot Shorts	Dean Stalham	Sam Miller, Emily Lim, Pam Brighton	Camden Fringe	2009
Moonfleece	Philip Ridley	David Mercatali	London & UK Tour	2010
Election Drama	Various	Various	New Players Theatre	2010
The Jewish Wife (JMK Award Winner[7])	Bertolt Brecht	Matthew Evans	Battersea Arts Centre	2010
Tender Napalm	Philip Ridley	David Mercatali	Southwark Playhouse[8]	2011
Yellow	Daniel Saleeb	Daniel Saleeb	Tete a Tete Festival / Riverside Studios	2011
Shallow Slumber	Chris Lee	Mary Nighy	Soho Theatre[9]	2012
Tender Napalm	Philip Ridley	David Mercatali	UK Tour[10]	2012
Dark Vanilla Jungle (Fringe First Award winner[11])	Philip Ridley	David Mercatali	Soho Theatre, London; Royal Exchange, Manchester and Pleasance, Edinburgh Festival	2013
Our Ajax	Timberlake Wertenbaker	David Mercatali	Southwark Playhouse[12]	2013
Jonny & the Baptists: The Stop UKIP Tour	Jonny Donahoe & Paddy Gervers	The company	UK Tour / Soho Theatre [13]	2014
Dark Vanilla Jungle	Philip Ridley	David Mercatali	UK Tour & Soho Theatre [14]	2014
Jonny & the Baptists: The Satiric Verses	Jonny Donahoe & Paddy Gervers	The company	The Pleasance, Edinburgh Festival [15]	2014
Bull (Olivier Award Winner[16])	Mike Bartlett (playwright)	Clare Lizzimore	Young Vic Theatre [17]	2015
Radiant Vermin	Philip Ridley	David Mercatali	Tobacco Factory Theatre, Bristol / Soho Theatre, London [18]	2015
Jonny & the Baptists Rock The Vote	Jonny Donahoe & Paddy Gervers	The company	UK Tour & Soho Theatre [19]	2015
You Look Tasty (A Play By A Tiger)	Stewart Pringle	David Mercatali	The Pleasance, Edinburgh Festival [20]	2015
Tonight with Donny Stixx	Philip Ridley	David Mercatali	Pleasance, Edinburgh Festival [21]	2015
Jonny & the Baptists: The End Is Nigh	Jonny Donahoe & Paddy Gervers	The company	Paines Plough Roundabout Theatre (Southbank Centre / Summerhall, Edinburgh Festival) & UK Tour [22]	2015-16
Octagon	Kristiana Colon	Nadia Latif	Arcola Theatre, London [23]	2015
Jonny & the Baptists: Eat the Poor	Jonny Donahoe & Paddy Gervers	The company	Paines Plough Roundabout Theatre (Summerhall, Edinburgh Festival) & UK Tour [24]	2016-17
Radiant Vermin	Philip Ridley	David Mercatali	59E59 Theaters, New York[25]	2016
Thirty Christmases	Jonny Donahoe, with Paddy Gervers	Alice Hamilton	Old Fire Station, Oxford & New Diorama Theatre, London [26]	2017-18

Awards and nominations

Supporting Wall's productions won or were nominated for various awards, including for Bull the 2015 Olivier Award for Achievement in an Affiliate Theatre;^[27] for Dark Vanilla Jungle a Fringe First Award^[11] and a nomination for lead actress Gemma Whelan for the Stage Award for Best Solo Performance;^[28] for Tender Napalm, winning the OffWestEnd.Com Award for Best Actress for Vinette Robinson^[29] and a nomination for the Evening Standard Outstanding Newcomer Award for director David Mercatali;^[30] for Shallow Slumber, nominations for the OffWestEnd.Com Best Actress Award for both Amy Cudden and Alexandra Gilbreath, as well as for Best New Play at the same awards;^[31] and for The Jewish Wife, winning the JMK director's award for Matthew Evans.^[7]

For Supporting Wall Ben Monks and Will Young were jointly nominated for the OffWestEnd.Com Best Producer Award twice consecutively in 2011^[32] & 2012.^[33]