The Pitch
In the heart of London, at Montague Terrace, an old Victorian house harbours the intertwined stories of four strangers separated by decades. Amid the ruins of war in 1944 and the uncertainty of the present day, their lives converge and echo through time, watched over by an ancient plane tree that has silently witnessed it all.
The Play
Montague Terrace tells the story of how four strangers, two in the present and two in the past, meet in a rundown Victorian terrace converted into small flats.
A soldier, medically discharged with PTSD, returns to London in 1944 to find his home has been blitzed and his wife has run off with a Canadian pilot, taking their daughter with them. He’s rehoused at Montague Terrace, where he meets Helena, a Czech refugee, who, despite having been through hell to escape Europe only to spend a year in an internment camp, faces each day with renewed strength.
In the present day, David has lost his home and business in the pandemic, and so finds himself at Montague Terrace. He’s determined not to let this be the end and strives to face the new challenge. It’s there he meets Sarah, the victim of an abusive marriage who has been using the empty flat as a small refuge from her husband who resides upstairs, while her daughter stays with her grandmother.
The narrative weaves between these two timelines with these four lives, each displaced by extraordinary circumstances, converging at Montague Terrace. They grapple with personal demons and adversity, challenging us to consider how different we are across the span of time and what it takes to find our way. Their stories, watched over by the ancient tree, remind us of the enduring human spirit and the connections that bind us, transcending the barriers of time and space.
The Cast & Crew
Helena/Sarah — Naomi Richards
Jim/David — Adrian Harris
Technician — Karl Griffiths
The Audience Reaction
“So engaging!”
“What a wonderful show… I was engaged all the way through.”
“Incredible acting from both… thought-provoking drama to light-hearted comedy.”
“The changes between the two timelines were really well thought out, keeping you on your toes wanting to know what happens next.”
“I was hooked from beginning to end.”
“The notes hit in all the right places.”
The Production
This play was developed with funding from the West of England Combined Authority. It received its debut performance as part of the Elevate Festival at The Egg Theatre, Bath, in 2024. We are now in the process of programming a tour to bring this poignant and heartwarming play to new audiences.
The Podcast
Join Adrian in the debut four episodes of the Playing with Words podcast in which he discusses the project with sound designers Alison Bown and Tim X Atack; explores his characters’ psychological backgrounds with emotional counsellor Sarah Cunliffe; gets feedback on an early draft of his play script at a Southwest Scriptwriters meeting; and puts the play through its paces in an experimental rehearsal with actors Chris Yapp and Georgia Rona.
Listen to the podcast below or subscribe by searching for ‘Playing with Words’ where you usually get your podcasts.