Marking Time – Tam Gilbert’s Artistic Project
Directed by Tam Gilbert, written by Mandy Redvers-Rowe and created by a visually impaired team, Marking Time is a gritty, politically-driven new play exploring the realities of prison life through the story of visually impaired Paralympian and activist, Jeff. As time passes inside his cell, and independence becomes negotiation, Jeff’s memories surface, revealing the moments that shaped the man behind the bars.
Through vivid flashbacks, the play moves between Jeff’s attempts to navigate his new environment, the charged emotion of his first Extinction Rebellion protest and the intensity of elite sport, from the discipline of training to the determination required to compete in a world that expects you to fail.
Marking Time is an urgent and deeply human story about freedom, resilience and the cost of standing up for what you believe in. This new play lays bare the emotional toll of navigating an environment that was never designed with blind or visually impaired people in mind.
Content warning: This play contains strong language, graphic threats of sexual violence and explores themes of barriers and isolation in prison, which some audience members may find upsetting.
Cast & Creative Team
Writer: Mandy Redvers-Rowe
Director: Tam Gilbert
Actor – Jeff: Benjamin Wilson
Actor – Sally / Prison Guard: Heather Seymour
Actor – Cal / Sam: Shashank Sharma
Other roles to be played by the Company
Sound Designer: Ian Rattray
Stage Manager: Leigh Arthur
Producer: Louisa Sanfey for Extant
Trainee Creative Producer: Ava Brewster for Extant
Access Consultant: Dr Maria Oshodi for Extant
Access Workers: Andrew Baguley, Natasha Hills, Ella Holappa, Phoebe Moore, Chikodi Nwaiwu and Anna van der Poorten
Team Biographies
Tam Gilbert (Director) is Trainee Artistic Director at Extant. She is a Bournemouth-based writer, theatre-maker and Audio Description Consultant and is co-Director of Millstream Theatre, a community company of learning-disabled and neurodivergent actors based at the Museum of East Dorset, which she co-founded in 2014. Tam is also currently an Associate Artist on PROPEL, Mayflower Studios, Southampton’s Artist Development Programmed. Tam enjoys making hard-hitting, often historical/sociopolitical theatre which embeds creative audio description as an intrinsic invisible thread, challenging audiences’ perceptions. She has worked with various disability-led organisations including Diverse City, LinkUpArts and Disability Arts Online and on a number of Extant projects, including ‘Unseen.’ Recently, she has provided AD Consultancy to artists and organisations Indigo Moon, Valise Noire Storytelling and The Play’s the Thing Theatre Company, where her play ‘Tales from the Confined’ was commissioned as part of their Taking the Stage festival of female writers in Milton Keynes in October 2024.
Mandy Redvers-Rowe (Writer) is an Edinburgh TV Festival nominated writer who has written for television, radio and stage, and is the current writer in residence at Aintree Hospital. Her TV drama, Second Sight, for Jimmy McGovern’s Moving On 11 was The Times Critics Choice. She has written for several CBeebies shows, Biff and Chip, Dog Squad, Stancan, and Radio 4. Her theatre work includes her solo show Measuring Up and Shielded, both developed in partnership with The Everyman, Snapshots 2020 with Northern Broadside and Love Liverpool with Liverpool Playhouse. Mandy is a DANC Ambassador, is in the BBC Writersroom Access Group and part of the Graeae Beyond Programme.
Ian Rattray (Sound Designer) is a mature visually impaired audio engineer, producer and sound designer with 20 years experience in the audio industry. Since leaving college he has produced numerous podcasts, audio dramas and audio productions including the award-winning ‘Unseen’ for Extant. Over the last 6 years he has also been involved in several sound design projects for theatre. He also audits websites for end user accessibility. His free time is spent walking and enjoying nature, good food, listening to jazz, folk and classical music and crosswords, and he also plays old time claw-hammer banjo and backup guitar in a part-time band. Ian is a former Associate Artist for Extant.
Benjamin Wilson (Actor) is a blind actor, director and audio description consultant., Ben trained as an actor at Birmingham Royal Conservatoire (formally Birmingham School of Acting). He spent time as the Ramps On The Moon Agent For Change at Sheffield Theatres and Trainee Artistic Director at Extant. He co-founded both theatre company Brick Wall Ensemble and creative audio description company Hear The Picture. As an actor and creative some of his recent credits include Macbeth at Hull Truck and on tour; Much Ado About Nothing and Guys and Dolls for Sheffield Theatres; Lord of the Flies, Macbeth, Oliver Twist and Road for Leeds Playhouse; Of Mice and Men, Three Billy Goats Gruff and Chicken Licken (Derby Theatre); Midsummer night’s Dream, (Royal Shakespeare Company); Anthony and Cleopatra (Shakespeare’s Globe); Unseen (Extant)and both Henry 5 and Meic On The Mic for Brick Wall Ensemble. He was awarded a commendation at the 2023 edition of The Sunday Times and national Theatre’s prestigious Ian Charleson Award where the Sunday times described him as “delightfully bombastic.”
Heather Seymour (Actor) has been associated with Extant for over 20 years, performing and teaching, most notably in Extant’s productions of Ionesco’s The Chairs. Now in receipt of her state pension she is still busy with her band The Ukadelix. Heather has a degree in Community Theatre Arts, has been a voluntary CEO of a Deptford – based community arts group, worked for the National Theatre, BBC African service, and in community arts and development work. Earlier this year she appeared in her first TV Role in the BBC comedy series, ‘Can you keep a secret’.
Shashank Sharma (Actor) is a London based Indian actor. He grew up in Dubai, studied film at Lancaster University and graduated with a MA in acting from East 15 Acting School. His acting journey started with Delhi’s renowned Ruchika Theatre Group. Screen credits include a TV special ADA31 and the independent feature film A Winter Tale at Shimla. Recent acting credits include a commercial for RNIB, Extant Open Scholar, a rehearsed reading of the play All There Is To See, and a Spanish inspired micro-theatre evening with Untold Collectiv at the Strand.
With thanks to: Arts Council England, Esmee Fairbairn Foundation, Battersea Arts Centre, Kiln Theatre, Paul Grainge, Recoop.
Event Programme:
Marking Time Programme May 2026
Large Print Marking Time Programme May 2026
Press:
Toby Davey & Tam Gilbert, May 2026, RNIB Connect Radio Interview