EMMA WILKINSON WRIGHT

What the Press has to say

Some of the most recent comments from the London theatre press on Emma’s work are set out below.

THE LAST DAYS OF LIZ TRUSS?  DECEMBER 2024 – MARCH 2025

“Standout”  – The Guardian, Mark Lawson

★ ★ ★ ★ “Like any excellent actor she draws us a long way into herself. Honour to performer”. Libby Purves on Emma as Liz Truss.

RIKA’S ROOMS – PLAYGROUND THEATRE MARCH 2024 

★ ★ ★ ★ ★ A Youngish Perspective – “Vivid, poignant and steeped in emotion, Wilkinson Wright’s powerful performance is sure to leave a lasting impression.. (her) interpretation of Rika and other characters is nothing short of mesmerising. Rika’s Rooms is a must see for anyone seeking a moving and intellectually stimulating theatre experience”

★ ★ ★ ★ ★ Theatre and Tonic  – “An incredible performance. Wilkinson Wright is mesmerising to watch. Rika’s Rooms, based on Louw’s own mother’s life and brought to life by Wilkinson Wright, is a one-woman show which should not be missed.”

★ ★ ★ ★ Broadway Baby – “The story is emotionally charged and difficult to tell, but Wilkinson Wright rises to the challenge of portraying Rika’s current state of dementia and contrasting her pitiful condition with scenes from events in her life delivered from those periods, as she was.”

★ ★ ★ ★ North West End – “Wilkinson Wright is a revelation as Rika. She acts with a potent naturalism, ruthlessly efficient in both vocal and physical transformation to the point of mesmerisation. The intimate connection she fosters with the audience through sheer force of earnest vulnerability is powerfully winsome. This harrowing one-woman show is suffused with love and light.”

★ ★ ★ ★ Adventures In Theatreland – “The depth into which Wilkinson Wright is able to explore personalities other than our namesake is utterly bewitching…outstanding.. this was wholly special to witness “

★ ★ ★ ★ Fringe Biscuit – “Solo powerhouse Emma Wilkinson Wright masterfully navigates Gail Louw’s globetrotting saga from Nazi Germany to Apartheid South Africa, Palestine to England… A fascinating look at a wild life and times”. 

EXCITING WORK – Fringe Review  “Wilkinson Wright manages the narrative as an Odyssey punctuated by screams. You know you’re in the presence of something remarkable.”

THE MITFORDS – EDFRINGE 2023 & THE PLAYGROUND THEATRE NOVEMBER 2023 (OffFest Award Nomination)

“A superb one-woman show” The Spectator

“Wilkinson Wright is a tremendous actress” BroadWay World

THE CHANGELING – SOUTHWARK PLAYHOUSE OCTOBER 2023

“Wilkinson Wright channels a visceral corporate boss out of Succession: smiling, steely, implacable, juggling welcome & watchfulness. Her Vermandera puts seeming to the fore; crumpling at the end as into dust. ” Fringe Review

THE ONLY WHITE – CHELSEA THEATRE APRIL 2023

“An incredible actress” Peter Hain speaking on BBC Radio 4 Today Programme about Wilkinson Wright’s performance as his mother, Adelaine Hain in “The Only White”

“There’s some talented acting in this show especially by Emma Wilkinson Wright as Ad Hain, Peter’s mother. She is totally believable in her anxious decency” Sardines Magazine.

And a word from some of The Directors…

“It’s easy to speak highly of Emma as an actor and creative collaborator. She came to work with me on a creative project for Frantic Assembly and her generosity, intelligence and instincts were an asset to both the performance work and the company. Emma is that rare combination of being talented and a good person: that should always be nurtured in the arts!” Simon Pittman, Theatre Director & Creative Associate at Frantic Assembly

“Working with Emma on As You Like It was a joy! Her insight and skill with language made her Jacques both moving and comic. Also, her contribution to the short process and commitment to the ensemble was fantastic. A wonderfully imaginative and generous actor”.  Owen Horsley, Director, Bard City, R.S.C, The Monobox. 

 
“Emma attacked the role of Clytemnestra with gusto and inventiveness. She is a courageous artist who was unafraid to challenge herself and expose the raw emotion pulsing beneath this incredibly complex character. When working together, Emma brought a rigour and meticulousness to the process of developing her character – whether that was scouring the text itself for hidden details or collaborating with fellow actors in the room. She is an incredibly hard-working and dedicated actor, and one who it was an absolute pleasure to work with from start to finish”. Lee Anderson, Playwright and Dramaturge, Associate at Squint;

“Emma is a consummate professional who always delivers as an actor and I wouldn’t hesitate to cast her again.  I have directed Emma in a number of productions – including ‘The Tempest’, ‘The Winters Tale’ and more recently ‘Her Naked Skin’,  in which she was phenomenal as Celia Cain and gained much recognition within the industry. Emma has a wide acting range and an engaging natural quality, which works for both stage and screen. Emma has a rich distinctive voice and a physicality that makes her stand out as an actor. She is hugely creative and a simply outstanding team player – always a pleasure to work with and definitely an actor to consider for any suitable casting”.  Petina Hapgood, Artistic Director, Goodmann Productions.

“I had an enormous pleasure in directing Emma as Mother Courage at RADA. She is a very open minded actor, ready to jump on different propositions, always providing her own personal way to accomplish tasks. I particularly enjoyed her capability to follow both the staging of Brecht as it was written and the devising work we have done together on the play. On top in this, she is a reliable, hard worker and fully trained -performer”.                        Simona Gonella, Theatre Director