NC Productions discusses Together in the End at Rosemary Branch Theatre for Camden Fringe 2026
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.
What remains when distraction disappears, power cuts out, and an existential threat looms outside the door? Arriving at the Rosemary Branch Theatre from 6 August for Camden Fringe 2026, Together in the End is a raw, emotionally charged world premiere two-hander produced by NC Productions.
Written by Niall McCarthy as a deeply personal exploration of heartbreak and human connection, the play follows Adam (Matthew Blaney) and Viv (Juliette Smith) as a holiday in the countryside is suddenly disrupted by an apocalyptic, existential threat. Striped back, intimate, and fiercely honest, the production uses the actors’ raw connection to explore love under extreme pressure.
We sat down with writer Niall McCarthy, producer Viola Rizzardi Penalosa, and stars Matthew Blaney and Juliette Smith to discuss raw writing, the warmth of fringe theatre, and why love remains the ultimate answer to fear. Read the full interview below!
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?
MATT: Sincere & scary… hopefully.
Why is 2026 the perfect time for this show to be seen?
MATT: The themes feel incredibly timely. We live in an age of constant uncertainty, and the play asks whether love and human connection can still be an antidote to fear. It’s an old idea, but one that never stops being relevant.
What was the ‘eureka moment’ that made you realise this story had to be told right now?
NIALL: I would never describe it as a eureka moment, or say that the story had to be told. I wrote the play during a very difficult period after the end of a relationship that meant a great deal to me. The inception of the play was a way of me processing what I was going through. I wasn’t thinking about an audience: I wrote it for myself, and it remains the most personal thing I’ve ever written. The closest thing to a eureka moment is when Ryan from NC Productions read it and it resonated with him. Then other people read it and found something of themselves in it as well. That’s when I knew I had something, but I did not write it with any intentionality towards that.
Is this version how you originally envisioned it or has it changed drastically since you first put pen to paper?
NIALL: Surprisingly, it’s remarkably close to the first draft. Of course there have been amendments and additions, but in the grand scheme I think it has retained the raw feelings that I was trying to impart into the script from the beginning.
What is something a performer has brought to a character that completely surprised you?
NIALL: I wouldn’t say I was completely surprised so much as grateful for the distance the actors have given me from the characters. They have both approached the material with tenderness and openness. They’ve brought qualities that were never explicitly written on the page; a particular warmth, humour, and charm, and those qualities make the dialogue feel more alive in performance than it ever could on paper.
What was it that drew you to this show and role?
MATT: I love Niall’s writing. He creates complex, deeply human characters, and I’ve been lucky enough to play a couple of them already. Adam is a very different challenge to say Mick in Derry Boys; outwardly he’s very put together and appears to be a very lovely, normal, and polite guy. But when he’s pushed into extraordinary circumstances, those cracks begin to show.
VIOLA: What immediately drew me to Together in the End was how human it felt. Niall has created something that feels incredibly personal, but at the same time speaks to something universal; that desire to hold onto another person when the world around you feels unpredictable.
What is it about your character that you most enjoy?
MATT: He’s a good guy. He genuinely wants to love and be loved, and that’s a wonderful thing to explore as an actor.
JULIETTE: I love my character’s passion! I’ve always been one for loving people who are real geeky about the things they love, and that’s exactly who she is. Whether she’s talking about art, history, or humanity, she throws herself into it wholeheartedly.
How challenging has this role been for you?
MATT: He’s neurotic. He overthinks, fixates, and spirals, so finding the rhythm of those patterns without losing their authenticity has been one of the biggest challenges.
JULIETTE: Being a two-hander play, there’s a big focus on keeping up with engaging the audience. Coming from more of a screen background, adapting to the sustained presence and energy that theatre demands has been both challenging and incredibly rewarding.
What is the “secret sauce” that makes your group dynamic work?
MATT: Making it about the other person. Whether it’s your scene partner, the director, or the wider team, the best work happens when you’re listening instead of trying to be interesting yourself.
Being fringe and a festival, we all know sets have to be bare minimum, how have you got around this?
VIOLA: The relationship is the set. If the connection between the two characters is believable, the audience will fill in everything else. That’s one of the joys of theatre.
What has been the biggest challenge in realising the writer’s vision for the show?
VIOLA: The biggest challenge has been one of the most rewarding parts: protecting the intimacy of the piece while bringing it to life in a Fringe environment. The focus has always been on creating the right conditions for the actors to tell the story honestly.
How important is audience interaction to you?
MATT: It’s the second most important relationship when you’re out there, whether you’re actively engaged with them or not. The first is the one with the other actor.
Are there any plans for what comes next after the show has finished its run– for you or the show?
MATT: I’m gonna get some sleep! As for the show, I’m leaving that to the grown-ups.
What does “success” look like for you this August, beyond just selling tickets?
MATT: Doing what you love to the highest possible standard to as few or as many people is the success.
VIOLA: Success is creating an environment where the audience feels connected to the story and leaves with something to think about. If someone sees the show and recognises a part of themselves, starts a conversation afterwards, or feels moved in some way, then we’ve achieved what we set out to do.
If you had to describe your show as a colour what would it be?
MATT: Red. It’s the colour of love, but also of danger.
If you had to describe your show as a meal?
MATT: Spaghetti Bolognese. It’s red again, and it always makes me think of Lady and the Tramp. Still one of the greatest rom-coms ever made. I’ll die on that hill!
JULIETTE: I think a slow beef stew with dumplings, lovely and wholesome.
If your show had a soundtrack, what songs would definitely be on it?
MATT: I’ve been listening to a lot of The Vaccines this summer, so I’d have to say “Wetsuit”. It’s about getting older, accepting life’s messiness, and deciding to embrace it anyway.
If you could perform this show anywhere in the world, where would it be and why?
MATT: Belfast. Best audiences in the world.
If your show was a drink at the venue bar, what would be the ingredients?
MATT: Bloody Mary. You’ve got your veg in there, a bit of spice, and after a couple of them you’ll probably start making some questionable decisions!
JULIETTE: Spiced Rum.
If budget or reality was not an issue, what’s the one piece of scenery/set you’d love to have in your show?
MATT: I’d love to create the cabin, the set to look and feel like a French holiday house. I’d also love to make the outside world a character in its own right: the changing light, the weather, the landscape. Being able to make the outside world a character would be extraordinary, and would add to the dread the characters are fighting against to stay together.
What’s the most valuable piece of advice you’received during your career, and how has it influenced your work on this show?
MATT: Trust your instincts. If you learn to listen to them, they’re the best teacher you’ll ever have, and they don’t go anywhere.
What words of encouragement would you give anyone thinking about doing Camden Fringe next year?
MATT: Love the play, and the people you’re working with. Save a bit of money before rehearsals, drink plenty of water, and enjoy the ride.
Many thanks to Niall, Matt, Viola and Juliette for their time. You can watch Together in the End when it plays at Rosemary Branch Theatre from Thursday 6 to Saturday 8 August
