Award-winning writer, Luke Wright is taking his most personal show to date on tour and publishing his story with the release of a new collection of poems with Little, Brown Book Group.
Later Life Letter unpicks the true story of Wright’s adoption through a script brimming with life and the lives he could have had. Strikingly honest, funny and deeply moving, this poetic stand-up show tells a story that explores the complexities of belonging and the experiences that make us who we are, from one of the UK’s leading stand-up poets.
What’s it like to stumble across your birth mother on Facebook? How do you honour the parents who have raised you while satisfying a curiosity about where you came from? What does it mean that you married a social worker? These are all questions which Wright unpacks within a captivating hour of storytelling.
Recognised for his blistering live performances and heartfelt writing, Luke Wright has toured internationally, supported John Cooper Clarke, and MC’d for The Libertines. A regular voice on BBC Radio 4, his writing and performance have earned him a Fringe First, a Stage Award, and the 2021 Saboteur Spoken Word Artist of the Year, delving into themes of family, politics, and modern masculinity.
Luke Wright comments: “Later Life Letter grew out of a need to understand where I came from, and why the idea of belonging still preoccupies me well into middle age. I’ve always known I was adopted, but only recently started to explore what that really means — not just for me, but for anyone trying to piece together a sense of self from incomplete stories.
“The show blends poetry, memoir, and stand-up to tell a story about family, privilege, and love in modern Britain. It’s about how we edit our pasts to make our presents bearable — and what happens when the old stories no longer fit” added Luke.
A later life letter is written by a social worker to an adopted child for them to read when older. In this production, Wright directs audiences through a blend of memoir and myth, highlighting the moments where a poem can hold more truth than a paragraph ever could.
Later Life Letter is about looking for meaning and the role luck has in shaping our lives. In this magnificently vulnerable tale of family and the strange coincidences that connect us, this poignant production offers a frank account of what it means to be someone’s child.
Luke Wright comes to ARC on Thursday 5th March – book your tickets by clicking here.