A Director’s favourite snack… the mighty Hobnob!

Douglas Rintoul is the Director of Noises Off and Chief Executive and Artistic Director of New Wolsey Theatre. Noises Off is a co-production with Theatre by the Lake (25 June – 26 July), New Wolsey Theatre Ipswich, Queen’s Theatre Hornchurch and Théâtres de la Ville de Luxembourg.

We all wanted to know…

What is the Luxembourg connection?

I was an Associate Director on a production of Julius Caesar at the Barbican, directed by Deborah Warner, featuring Ralph Fiennes, Fiona Shaw, and Simon Russell Beale. It was a co-production with theatres in Paris, Madrid, and Luxembourg. I was responsible for directing a chorus of 100 people, casting them in each city, and preparing them before the show arrived.

I spent a lot of time in Luxembourg and got to know the theatre well. The producer of Julius Caesar later became the Artistic Director there, so I’ve had a long-standing relationship with the venue. What’s special about that theatre is its multilingual programming — German, French, Luxembourgish, and English — which reflects its international community.

Tom, the head of the theatre, has a real love for English-language productions, especially those that are distinctly British, like Noises Off, a classic comedy masterpiece. So that’s how Luxembourg got involved. It’s especially meaningful now, post-Brexit, to be collaborating with a European partner.

This is the first time the New Wolsey Theatre has co-produced with Luxembourg, though I’ve done so before with other companies. We usually try to bring in at least one creative from Luxembourg to make the exchange truly collaborative. For this show, Clio Van Aerde, a designer from Luxembourg, joined the team. This is her first time designing in the UK. She trained in Austria and brings a unique, Germanic theatre perspective. That fresh viewpoint was invaluable — it let us see the play anew.

Why are SJT and NWT and co-pro theatres both staging Noises Off now — is it about the rights being available?

Yes, exactly. I’ve had my eye on this play for a long time. I tried to stage it back when I was Artistic Director at Queen’s Theatre Hornchurch. It’s a smart, clever piece with real layers — something you can watch again and again and still notice new things.

I’d never directed a farce before, and Noises Off is the best. It really appeals to the technician in me — making it work is such a satisfying challenge. The rights were previously tied up with a long-running production that toured for years. When that ended, a window opened, and we jumped on it.

This fresh production, with Clio’s design and a different perspective, lets us bring something new to audiences.

How did you approach the casting and rehearsals?

There were four co-producing partners: New Wolsey Theatre, Queen’s Theatre Hornchurch, Théâtre de la Ville de Luxembourg, and Theatre by the Lake. We started by asking each venue: Who are the actors you love working with? We wanted the company to feel rooted in at least one of the theatres involved.

We went through a lot of suggestions. Ultimately, we looked for actors who were funny, who understood the rhythms — it’s like a musical score. The cast needed to “get” the writing and have a real sense of play, but also enjoy the technical challenge. It’s incredibly hard work, so we needed people excited by that.

Do you have a favourite moment or line in the play?

There are too many! They really stick in your head. As a Director, I see a lot of myself in Lloyd — not always flattering, but true.

Each act has a completely different tone and quality, and I love that. One favourite moment is in Act Two, when Lloyd storms on and says, “What’s going on?”

The whole front-of-house call sequence in Act Two is hilarious — it’s exactly our world, and if you get those calls wrong or repeat them, the chaos backstage mirrors chaos in the auditorium. It’s brilliantly observed.

If you could play any of the characters, who would it be?

Lloyd would be the easiest for me — probably for obvious reasons! But Gary is a brilliant, exhausting role. I think I’d really enjoy playing Selsdon, the older actor who occasionally likes a drink. He’s such a fun, beautifully written character — an old-school performer with tons of wisdom. I’m probably a bit too young to play him, but I’d love to.

What’s your favourite part of directing a production like this?

Making it tick. It’s technically demanding, but I love that. The writing is meticulous — so smart. It’s as demanding as Shakespeare, just in a different way. Like Shakespeare, the more you engage with it, the more you see. I keep adding things in as I go, little discoveries that come from watching it again and again. That process of unlocking the brilliance of the text is what I love most.

Director’s favourite snack — and why?

That’s a tough one! In tech rehearsals, you can end up eating a lot of junk — biscuits everywhere. But I’d say a plain digestive or maybe a Hobnob. Something satisfying, quick, and comforting with a cup of coffee when you’ve had a tough afternoon. That little treat makes a big difference.