Today we speak to Liam O’Grady, one of the writers of the show Time Piece which is showing at Lambeth Fringe this year on the 25th and 26th September at the Bread & Roses at 7:30pm. This years show features four writers, four interlinked stories, one mysterious pocket watch passed from scene to scene in an endless continuum. Today we find out all about it.
Hello! Tell us about yourself ?
I’m part of the collaborative ‘Four Funerals and a Wedding’, Collective’ writing team behind Time Piece! Following our previous hit fringe shows Fatal Floor and Four Funerals and a Wedding, we four prize-winning writers – Sally Sheringham, Richard Fitchett, Liam O’Grady (that’s me), and Wally Sewell – have teamed up again under the brilliant direction of Anthony Shrubsall.
Tell us a bit about the show
Four writers, four interlinked stories, one mysterious pocket watch passed from scene to scene in an endless continuum. Think dark comedy, existential mystery, a python named Escher hiding in a garden gnome, a white rabbit and a devil, a WW1 revolver and a dodgy Zoom psychic mixed in with a whole lot of human chaos.
Does it work? We hope so!
But don’t take my word for it, judge for yourselves…
How are rehearsals going?
Fast, intense, and deeply surreal! Syncing four distinct writing voices so that the watch transition feels like clockwork requires precision timing. We are having a absolute blast refining the dark humour and high tension. Not to mention the rabbit’s head. Blast – I’ve just mentioned the rabbits head!
What can you tell us about the stage set?
Minimalist, intimate, and hyper-focused. Since the pocket watch and the ticking of time are the real stars connecting dawn in a churchyard to a midnight clockmaker’s flat, the set relies on tight lighting and atmospheric soundscapes to shift worlds in a heartbeat.
Tell us a little bit about the rest of the cast
We are very lucky to have a stellar cast of four professional actors and a prize-winning director.
The first play written by Sally Sheringham stars very talented actors Joanna Strafford as Cath, and Stephen Riddle as Colin, in an early-morning encounter in a hallowed churchyard between a homeless woman in devil horns and a man dressed as the White Rabbit.
The second play written by Richard Fitchett stars Joanna Strafford as Cath and the amazing Amanda Holt as Claudia, were we find ourselves in an eerie, fraudulent online psychic session interrupted by family home-truths in Clapham.
Billy Harris as Morgan and Amanda Holt as Claudia star in the third play, a chaotic front garden search for a pet python named Escher who refuses to be found, written by Liam O’Grady.
For the fourth and final play Wally Sewell works his magic in a tense, midnight encounter involving a broken watch, a loaded revolver, and a confrontation with time itself. This stars Billy Harris as Morgan and Stephen Riddle as Colin.
All four plays directed are by award-winning director Anthony Shrubsall.
What is the most challenging thing about doing the show?
The biggest challenge was narrative continuity – ensuring that every handover of the watch, every shared line of dialogue, and every character reference matched up seamlessly across the four distinct plays. Managing the tonal shifts from light-hearted absurdity to intense psychological drama to keep the overarching rhythm intact, required delicate orchestration, not to mention the occasional robust debate between friends!
The best thing about touring the show?
As a world premiere show, we haven’t toured yet. But we can’t wait to take over the brilliant Bread & Roses Theatre in Clapham for Lambeth Fringe 2026! There is nothing like bringing high-stakes fringe theatre to an intimate venue where the audience is practically in the room with us.
What have been some of the best highlights since doing the show?
We can’t wait to see the show up and running. But so far, the highlight has been watching four separate scripts mesh into one complete narrative arc, and seeing the actors’ reactions the first time the full circular structure clicks into place!
What is the best reaction you have had from an audience member?
Time Piece is yet to be performed as a world premiere, but we’re sure our audiences go away thinking…
‘Wow, that was an hour of my life well spent, watching a superb world premiere production by four amazing writers, with a stellar cast and director, and all at such a very modest price!! I must immediately tell all my friends about it.’
If people want to follow you on social media where can they find you?
Info and tickets here…
Social media updates here...
Finally in three words why should people come to your show?
Mind-bending. Fun. Unmissable.
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