Interview: Two Plays, One Dressing Room

OnBook Theatre’s Jason Moore and Ian Nicholas on their new double bill

OnBook Theatre, made up of director Jason Moore and designer Ian Nicholas, are building up a wonderful back catalogue of work, and hope to be adding to that soon when they bring their double bill of Red Peppers and Aged in Wood to Theatre at the Tabard. The former is by Noel Coward, whilst the latter is a brand new piece of writing from Cian Griffin.

So why would anyone want to put on a double bill of two works so many years apart, and what then connects them? Well, we thought we’d go straight to the horses mouth and ask OnBook just those very questions.

Whilst Red Peppers will be well known to many, Aged in Wood is a brand new piece of writing, but what connects them both?

Both are set in the world of theatre and in particular, backstage theatre.  They both pull back the curtain and let the audience glimpse into the real ‘behind the scenes’ action, which frankly can be far more interesting sometimes.  Everyone enjoys a little gossip and both plays provide just that. 

So what came first, the idea to put on Noel Coward’s Red Peppers, or the new play by Cian Griffin?

Red Peppers came first, it’s a favourite of ours. But we needed a second act as it is quite short. So, we were tasked with finding another short play to pair with it. We searched for ages but couldn’t find the right property, so we commissioned Aged in Wood especially as a companion piece. We asked writer Cian Griffin to set it in the same dressing room and told him he could change the time and he elected to fast forward to 2025. We asked him to write parts for all six actors so that all the performers from RP were included in AIW, that was very important to us.

Were you ever concerned about putting on what could be seen as a “follow up” to such a well known play and the possible comparisons that people might make between the two?

Following Noel Coward can be a daunting prospect, but no risk, no gain.  We worked very closely with Cian to develop a play that we felt would compliment the production. Developing new writing is a passion of ours. This particular production is something that has never been seen on the London stage before. It’s classic and fresh all at the same time. 

With both plays set in the same dressing room, but many years apart, do you have to change much in the set during the interval or are you working on the belief that no theatre has ever updated its dressing rooms?

The nice thing about theatre dressing rooms is that many of them don’t change that much, especially in old theatres. Most of them are updated with a fresh coat of paint and some wallpaper and new fixtures. We have 20 minutes to change the set to bring it from 1936 to 2025, so we have a few tricks up our sleeve. You’ll have to come and see how we do it! 

With such a time between the two plays, has this created extra challenges in rehearsals in getting the tone right for each distinct decade they are set in?

You would think it would, be it hasn’t. Using modern language and accents helps the actors to ‘time travel’ quite easily from the 1930s to present day. This troupe of skilled actors know exactly what they are doing, we are blessed to have such talented performers in this production. Our leading lady, Jessica Martin, has had a 40 year career in TV and theatre. She is absolutely stunning in this production.

You’ve taken work to some wonderful London venues, including Barnes’ OSO, what made you decide Theatre at the Tabard was the right place for you this time?

We are huge fans of the Tabard and it’s always been on our list of venues we wanted to work with. We just needed to find the right property and as soon as we started to conceive this show, the Tabard was frankly our first choice. Luckily the artistic director, Simon Reilly, agreed. The Tabard is a little jewel of a theatre that possesses such charm, it’s absolutely perfect for this production.

You’re working again with Cian Griffin later this year for Lee, so you clearly enjoy his work. What is it that draw you to his writing originally then?

Cian sent us a couple of scripts two years ago and we immediately connected with his writing. He is all about creating characters and great dialogue. He has a very clear understanding of how to write for the stage as opposed to writing for TV or film which is entirely different. We are lucky enough to be sent a lot of scripts and so many of them would make great films or TV but simply don’t work onstage. Cian understands the limitations of writing for theatre.  He also has a wicked sense of humour and can be quite dark at times, both of which we enjoy. And he’s very adept at writing both comedy and drama.

Lee, which is coming to Park Theatre is September, is an entirely different play from Aged in Wood. It’s a drama about Lee Krasner, the painter and wife of Jackson Pollock. I think people are going to be stunned by it. And Aged in Wood is a comedic delight that we believe will have people laughing and talking. It’s a rather anti-woke peek behind the curtain and what really goes on in show business.

Our thanks to Jason and Ian for finding time to chat to us. The double bill of Red Peppers and Aged In Wood plays at Theatre at the Tabard from Wednesdsay 28 May to Saturday 21 June. Further information and bookings available here.