Interview: Matt Wilkinson, ‘The Sound Inside’

Ahead of the Edinburgh Festival Fringe 2024, we’re chatting with a range of creatives who will be heading to the city over August to find out more about their shows. Today we’re chatting with Matt Wilkinson about his piece, The Sound Inside.

Can you tell us a bit about you and your career so far..

I trained at RADA and became an actor. My move into directing came when British Chinese company Mulan asked me to direct my first play Sun is Shining in London and New York. I then did an adaptation for a play at the Young Vic and made some short films. With my plays My Eyes Went Dark and Psychodrama I established relationships with producer Pádraig Cusack and also lighting designer Elliot Griggs (Fleabag) and Harry Potter and The Cursed Child sound designer Gareth Fry. We brought these shows to the Traverse too. 

What is your show about?

The Sound Inside tells the story of Bella, an Ivy League creative writing professor, and Christopher, a brilliant freshman student. They are two outsiders who become drawn to each other. When Bella asks Christopher for the darkest of favours, the action drives towards an ending steeped in mystery and surprise. 

What was the inspiration for the show and what’s the development process been to get to this stage?

You’d have to ask Adam what made him write it – but I know he’s always intended it to be a very intimate and personal piece, certainly in the way it is performed and received. He describes it as ‘a haunting’. The themes of loneliness, and being understood and heard are so powerful, and of course it is also about art and writing, and how two people use this to connect. Originally the play transferred to Broadway, where it played for 100 performances and received 6 Tony Award nominations. We developed it further in a workshop with Adam earlier this year. This will be the UK premiere. 

What made you want to take this to the Fringe? 

We are very fortunate that Linda Crooks at the Traverse instantly loved the play and offered us the main stage for the festival. The storytelling component of The Sound Inside, with its fluid blend of narration and dramatic scenes, makes it a perfect fit for the Fringe. And the audience is very important. They are present to bear witness – Bella names this – and are therefore essential to how the play unfolds and its meaning. 

Apart from seeing your show, what’s your top tip for anybody heading for Edinburgh this summer?

Shôn Dale Jones. His storytelling is so beguiling. I remember once he welcomed us with ‘There is nowhere in the world I would rather be than right here, now, with you.’ It had a big influence on me, the intimacy of the moment and the absence of tension. It was the most relaxing thing in the world to say. I also love Showstoppers. Unadulterated entertainment and improv genius.

Why should people book to see your show?

It’s a thriller and a love story performed by two exquisite stage artists, Merchant Ivory’s Madeleine Potter and The Kite Runner’s Eric Sirakian. And it comes at you seamlessly, out of the darkness, with stunning lighting and soundscape. It’s a quietly gripping experience, filled with wit and emotion but perhaps not instantly knowable – even a little unsettling - like a haunting.

When and where can people see the show?

3 – 25th Aug, Traverse 1, Traverse Theatre.