Difference between revisions of "The Habits (2026)"
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== Reviews == | == Reviews == | ||
| − | + | The Habits is a perfect example of everything I boast about when singing the praises of South London Theatre. Great casting, strong performances, and masterly direction lifting the play from the page and delivering it with punch, pace and pathos - also a good dollop of funny but that wasn’t alliterative. | |
| + | Go see it. If you like D&D there are jokes just for you, if that’s not your bag there’s a compelling story and journey of relatable funny, and very human characters beautifully played. | ||
| + | |||
| + | '''Caroline Doyle''' | ||
| + | |||
| + | You said what I thought, but you were rather more eloquent. Excellent play, done tremendously well | ||
| + | |||
| + | '''Mark Ireson''' | ||
| + | |||
| + | The Habits is frankly, beautiful. Moving, inclusive, warm, genuine and wonderfully performed and directed. For those who have tickets, you are lucky to see this... | ||
| + | |||
| + | '''Chas Doyle''' | ||
== Gallery == | == Gallery == | ||
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| + | [[Image:Habits 1.jpg|thumb|300px|]] [[Image:Habits 2.jpg|thumb|300px|Photograph by [[Sophie Davies]]]] [[Image:Habits 3.jpg|thumb|300px|Photograph by [[Sophie Davies]]]] [[Image:Habits 4.jpg|thumb|300px|Photograph by [[Sophie Davies]]]] | ||
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| + | [[Image:Habits 5.jpg|thumb|300px|Photograph by [[Sophie Davies]]]] [[Image:Habits 6.jpg|thumb|300px|Photograph by [[Sophie Davies]]]] [[Image:Habits 7.jpg|thumb|300px|Photograph by [[Sophie Davies]]]] [[Image:Habits 8.jpg|thumb|300px|Photograph by [[Sophie Davies]]]] | ||
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Revision as of 08:50, 3 March 2026
Performances: Tuesday 24 – Saturday 28 February 2026, Old Fire Station
Contents
Introduction
A tender look at who we are, and who we wish we were, in the face of bereavement, The Habits is equal parts charming, nerdy humour and bittersweet family tragedy, set among a group of fantasy gamers....
Preview from SLT website
What appealed to you about The Habits?
I saw the original production at Hampstead Theatre. I went with a friend who is a D&D player – not really sure what to expect – but what I found was a beautiful, gracious little play about friendship and grief… with a bit of gameplay for good measure! I loved the show and could just see it at SLT. Gameplay/D&D lend themselves very well to the stage!
Do we need to understand the game Dungeons & Dragons to "get" the play?
Absolutely not. Not even one tiny bit. The characters in the show are new to the game as well so you learn along with them. If you can watch people play characters – which audiences do anyway – you can get into the game! That’s all the game is – role play acting!
What have been the directing challenges for you on this show?
A lot of the script is set round a game table. So we worked very hard to inject movement and physicality into the show whilst also allowing them to roll dice!
We also had to make sure any language we used was correct to the gaming rules and make sure we knew what they meant! My Assistant Director Oliver Adkin is a Dungeon Master, so he was always on hand to ask questions.
We also wanted to make sure any gameplay was accessible to audience that knew nothing about D&D, so we have leaned into the role play element and really had fun with the characters, so that it’s entertaining for the audience.
Tell us about the characters we'll meet
Jess (Phoebe Masters-Crutch), our school-age dungeon master is new to running games, and she is playing in Warboar, Dennis’ Board Game Cafe, with Maryn (Stephanie Riley) and Milo (Tom Mitchell), both in their twenties. You aren’t really sure why they are all playing together when they aren’t 100% sure of the rules, but it becomes apparent as the play progresses.
Bev (Debra Hensman) joins when she starts dating Dennis (Bob Callender), and just wants to play Monopoly!
What do you hope the audience will take away from the show?
The shared experience of coming together and playing a board game. We are stuck to our phones and social media at the moment, and what we see is five characters connecting, and exploring their emotions through imagination and role play. Maybe you might even get a taste for the game!
Sum up the play in three words?
Nerdy group therapy! Hahaha, no seriously – fantasy, friendship and growth.
Cast
- Jess - Phoebe Masters-Crutch
- Dennis - Bob Callender
- Bev - Debra Hensman
- Maryn - Stephanie Riley
- Milo - Tom Mitchell
Crew
- Assistant Director - Oliver Adkin
- Stage Manager - Rachael Lovegrove
- Assistant Stage Managers - Chloe Im, Mark Ireson (Thursday and Friday)
- Lighting Design - Tom Mathias
- Sound Design - Jo Boniface
- Operator - Oliver Adkin
- Set Design - Jo Boniface and crew
- Costumes - Cast and crew
- Trailer - Han Evans
- Show Photography - Phil Gammon
- Intimacy Coordinator - Greg Williams
- Rigging - Sean Thomas
- Set Build - Mark Ireson, John Winters, Sean Thomas, Alistair Simpson, Graham Clements, Ed Smith, cast and crew
Reviews
The Habits is a perfect example of everything I boast about when singing the praises of South London Theatre. Great casting, strong performances, and masterly direction lifting the play from the page and delivering it with punch, pace and pathos - also a good dollop of funny but that wasn’t alliterative.
Go see it. If you like D&D there are jokes just for you, if that’s not your bag there’s a compelling story and journey of relatable funny, and very human characters beautifully played.
Caroline Doyle
You said what I thought, but you were rather more eloquent. Excellent play, done tremendously well
Mark Ireson
The Habits is frankly, beautiful. Moving, inclusive, warm, genuine and wonderfully performed and directed. For those who have tickets, you are lucky to see this...
Chas Doyle
Gallery
Reminiscences and Anecdotes
Members are encouraged to write about their experiences of working on or seeing this production. Please leave your name. Anonymous entries may be deleted.
See Also
Have there been other SLT productions of this play? Link to them here.
Or add anything that is related within this site. The author's page for instance or other plays with a similar theme.
