29 November 2024
Marco Gandolfi
Heralded as Summerhall’s fastest-selling show in eight years at the 2023 Edinburgh Festival Fringe, the entire run of An Interrogation sold out before its opening performance. This award-winning investigative drama will now transfer to London for a limited five-week run at Hampstead Theatre. The debut play from Jamie Armitage, the Tony Award-nominated co-director of SIX: The Musical, An Interrogation is a gripping piece about power, deception and our perspectives of the truth.
In an innovative exploration of technology versus reality, the production cleverly utilises live-stream cameras to manipulate the audience’s point of view. It is a thrilling and claustrophobic cross-examination of society’s preconceived ideas about the kinds of people who commit crimes.
The cast will feature Rosie Sheehy (Romeo and Julie - Nominated for Breakthrough Artist, South Bank Sky Arts Awards 2023 at the National Theatre, All's Well That Ends Well and Richard III - Nominated for the Ian Charleson Awards 2023, RSC; Machinal, The Old Vic/Theatre Royal Bath) as the police officer Ruth Palmer. Jamie Ballard (Macbeth, Nimbus Arts Centre, New York; Harry Potter and The Cursed Child, West End; Showtrial, BBC) will play the role of Cameron Andrews, the suspect, whilst Colm Gormley (Othello, War Horse, National Theatre; Titanic, ITV 2012; Much Ado About Nothing, Shakespeare’s Globe) takes on the part of the senior investigating officer, John Culin.
Jamie Armitage comments, One of my first ever assistant directing jobs was at Hampstead Downstairs, so it is very special for me to bring my first play to this beautiful venue. It is such an exciting opportunity to be able to re-explore and expand this story, while taking the production to the next level with exciting new design and technical elements. An Interrogation thrilled audiences in Edinburgh, so we hope that London audiences will have the same visceral response to this suspenseful story full of twists, turns and intrigue.
An Interrogation is based on a real interview between Ontario Provincial Police Detective Staff Sergeant James Smith and a seemingly respectable man, Colonel Russell Williams. In the show, a man agrees to a voluntary interview to assist the police's enquiries into the death of a young woman and the disappearance of another. Inspired by the disturbing real-life case, Armitage’s play depicts a conversation between detective and suspect which is polite on the surface but soon escalates into an interrogation of power and class. While Cameron Andrews might initially seem the least likely person to be connected to a murder investigation, a different story begins to emerge moment by moment as he is questioned by an ambitious young detective.
Leaning into relatable societal biases, the production expertly explores how our perspective affects the way we interpret a moment: does someone seem more guilty or nervous when seen from a different angle?
Ellie Keel comments, I’m so delighted to be transferring Jamie’s brilliantly powerful and compelling play to the Hampstead Theatre, with a stellar cast and creative team. I know that London audiences are going to love An Interrogation as much as Edinburgh audiences did — it’s fantastic to have the opportunity to be at the helm of such a popular and acclaimed play.
An Interrogation is a collaboration between Tony Award-nominated Armitage and Ellie Keel, who has an impressive track record of producing new shows. Her prestigious slate of acclaimed new plays has included You Bury Me by Ahlam (Bristol Old Vic, Royal Lyceum Theatre, Edinburgh, and Orange Tree Theatre, London), Reasons You Should(n’t) Love Me by Amy Trigg (Kiln Theatre and tour), Still No Idea by Lisa Hammond and Rachael Spence (Traverse Theatre, Southbank Centre and tour) and FITTER by Mary Higgins and Ell Potter (Soho Theatre). Previous productions have included Nathan Queeley Dennis' Bullring Techno Makeout Jamz (Paines Plough's Roundabout, Ed Fringe/Royal Court Theatre/UK Tour), Daisy Hall's Bellringers (Paines Plough's Roundabout, Ed Fringe/Hampstead Theatre) and Rafaella Marcus' Sap (Paines Plough's Roundabout, Ed Fringe/UK Tour). Keel is the Founder Director of the Women’s Prize for Playwriting. Becky Paris (Head of Casting at Shakespeare's Globe) has joined the team as Casting Director.
Hampstead Theatre, Eton Avenue, Swiss Cottage,
London NW3 3EU
Thursday 16th January – Saturday 22nd February 2025
Press Night: Thursday 23rd January 2025, 7pm
