Cellar Door Theatre Company Revives Stephen Belber’s TAPE
After the success of our 2025 Camden Fringe Interviews, we thought it only right to attempt a repeat for 2026. So throughout July we’ll be publishing new interviews each day to give a taste of what to expect from London’s best fringe theatre festival. The festival starts Monday 3 August this year, so we may give ourselves a couple of days off inbetween the end of the interviews and the first shows… then again, we might not.
You can find out more about Camden Fringe, along with details of every show playing this August here. You can also find all of this year’s interviews as they are published here.
When Stephen Belber’s fiercely claustrophobic drama TAPE premiered in 2001, the cultural framework surrounding consent, memory, and gender dynamics was radically different from today. Re-examined in 2026, the play’s dissection of how men perform, joke, and protect each other’s worst behaviors takes on an entirely fresh, electric urgency.
Brought to life by Cellar Door Theatre Company, this hard-hitting dark comedy is set to take over the Lion & Unicorn Theatre this August for Camden Fringe 2026. Centered around a tense high school reunion between three old friends in a dingy motel room, the production strips away theatrical pretense to expose the volatile gap between truth and perception. We caught up with Brittany Rex, Paul Kelvin, Nick Chinn, and Jaimee Doyle to talk about stepping out from behind the director’s chair, the unpredictable chemistry of their ensemble, and why the ultimate nostalgia soundtrack hides a much darker reality.
If you had to describe the vibe of your show in just one sentence, what would it be and how does it manifest on stage?
TAPE is a hard-hitting dark comedy about three friends who remember things very differently, and as the audience watches their reunion unfold, they start to wonder what really happened.
Why is 2026 the absolute perfect time to revive Stephen Belber’s 2001 script?
When the play was first written in 2001, the cultural language around sexual assault was vastly different. Today, audiences are highly attuned to the toxic masculinity the play exposes. It presents a fresh look at how men perform, joke, and protect each other’s worst behaviors until they’re forced to face the consequences.
What was it that originally drew you to this piece?
I studied TAPE in drama school in America, and I always found it to be an edgy script with a brave subject to tackle. It still feels raw, immediate, and relevant today. The themes of memory, truth, perception, and accountability are still incredibly timely. The play asks difficult questions about who gets to control a narrative and how differently people can experience the exact same event.
What has surprised you most about your ensemble dynamic during the rehearsal process?
Discovering the natural chemistry between the three of us. Nick and Paul bring something completely unexpected to their characters, and because they’re both so sharp and instinctive, every scene feels alive. The dynamic is really funny, quick, and entirely unpredictable. We’re constantly finding new layers to peel back in the text and new reactions to play, which keeps me on my toes. That sense of surprise is exactly what makes TAPE so exciting to perform.
Tell us about your character, Amy. What makes her role so compelling to unpack?
Amy fascinated me because she’s far more complex than she first appears. She walks into a room with two men who think they already understand her and the past they share, both of them hanging on to the nostalgia of that time.
She’s intelligent, composed, vulnerable, and unpredictable all at once. She forces the audience to question assumptions and sit with discomfort, which feels especially relevant right now in a world where conversations about accountability and who gets believed are so important. Playing Amy feels deeply meaningful because she represents someone reclaiming her voice in a situation where others have defined the story for years. That honesty and resilience are what made me excited to play her.
How challenging has taking on this role been for you personally?
I am usually behind the scenes directing, so this role has been a challenge in many ways! Getting to rediscover my love of acting and building a character who is so distinct from me has been an incredible experience. It’s really exciting to work with a brilliant team who constantly raise the bar.
How important is the crowd’s energy to the momentum of the performance?
For this show especially, the audience’s interaction and, more importantly, their reaction, is vital to the tension and storytelling of TAPE. As they start to draw their own conclusions, it becomes a play that people will be talking about at the bar long after the lights go down.
If the show had a definitive soundtrack, what tracks would be on it?
“Whatsername” by Green Day, “Glory Days” by Bruce Springsteen, and “Here’s to the Night” by Eve 6. All of these songs are about longing for the better days gone by and the girl that got away, perfectly mirroring the selective nostalgia of the characters.
What’s the most unconventional set piece or prop choice we’ll see on stage?
A toilet on stage! You’ll just have to come see the show to find out exactly why.
Can you share a “fake” review of the show from someone close to the cast?
“Could’ve all been solved with a cup of tea.” — Paul’s Dad ☕️🏼
Many thanks to the team for taking time out of rehearsals to chat. TAPE will play at Lion and Unicorn Theatre from Tuesday 11 to Friday 15 August.
