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 When I was rather younger than I am now, one of the things I always used to look forward to at this time of year was the Christmas selection box. Pioneered by Rowntrees in the early 20th century they were a way (and still are) for confectionery manufacturers to promote their product. I recall there was always a cut out game on the back to enjoy but, of course, the main event was the goodies inside. It is with this concept very much in mind that the Tower Theatre in Stoke Newington presented a parade of treats developed as part of their writing group and entitled Writers’ Room. It was an eclectic mixture and not everything was candy coated even if the brief was to create a response to the festive period.
 No Room at the Inn by Lily Guy-Vogel and directed by Matthew Magill took the traditional nativity story and added a few modern twists. The main characters were a gay couple Mario and Joe (Norbet Szabo and Simon Christian) who were having trouble finding anywhere on Air B and B for a weekend break. They eventually find a repurposed stable/barn where more than a few home truths are bandied about. Flitting in and out of their story is Gabrielle (Alexa Wall) – more stand up comedian than archangel. The latter was especially good value and got the audience keyed up with some traditional panto call and response moments which made the piece a good opener.
 The mood was entirely different for the second play, The Pictures of Dora Gray by Melanie Bell. Taking obvious inspiration from the Oscar Wilde novel, Bell also threw in a heavy dash of Dr Faustus, as budding painter Dora (Arabella Hornby) sells her soul/ health for artistic success and recognition to a sinister figure (Matthew Vickers). Colin Guthrie’s excellent directorial touches and beautifully haunting musical motifs turned this short play into something quite special. I didn’t really see any connection to the festive season, in fact it was quite a bleakly pessimistic piece, but it certainly stood in complete contrast to the plays on either side.
 The first half concluded with the satirical Saturnalia by Ian Hoare. With a nod to events of last Christmas we found ourselves inside Number 10 Downing Street where a wild party was in full swing. Political aides Cornelia (Kornelia Adelajda) and Marcus (Liam Brown) are following the PM’s instructions in reviving an ancient Roman festival predicated on Bacchanalian excess and an inversion of the social order. However, it all goes rather further than their boss (Simona Hughes heading into Liz Truss territory) might have intended and the tables are well and truly turned. There were some whip smart one liners in this play which also made some timely comments about politics, democracy and our apparent need to keep changing our leaders quite so frequently. Neta Gracewell directed.
 Part Two opened with A Make Believe Summer by Kate Roche which was subtly directed by Angharad Ormond. There was a healthy mix of the comic and the serious in this piece of writing which questioned whether and how a childhood friendship could survive once the element that bound them together has gone. Leon Wander and Lira Stroeter as long term next door neighbours made an excellent job of the well balanced duologue and strongly suggested the children that they once were – the slightly nerdy introvert Simon and the more exhibitionist (on the surface anyway) Paloma. This particularly came across in their body language and the choice of character costumes. The last few minutes of the play are particularly poignant and forcibly reminded us of what it was like to be alone at this time of year.
 Bringing proceedings to a rousing and hilarious conclusion was Waiting for Grotto - love the title - by Janet South. Beleaguered Garden Centre Grotto supervisor Veronica (a comically uptight Katie Smith) is inducting three new employees into their festive duties. These are nervous Graham (Tommy Saunders), bolshie and pregnant Kate (Helen McGill) and taciturnly angry Paul (Paul Graves). It was one of those comedies where everything that can go wrong does go wrong. The trio’s character costumes are a constant source of annoyance, the presents are not Health and Safety compliant, the grotto lights refuse to co-operate, Santa himself hasn’t turned up and don’t even ask what’s happening amongst the reindeer in the petting zoo! All four actors proved adept at the verbal and physical comedy required and under Emma Miles’ fast paced direction conjured up a healthy stream of non-stop laughter throughout which brought the evening to a joyful close.
 There were many other significant contributions from Tower members throughout the evening, not least Angelika Michitsch and Nick Insley whose flexible set design and lighting respectively spread across all five pieces. They ensured that there was continuity but with a degree of variation. Feiyang Yang, Colin Guthrie and Harry Tomlin were responsible for sound design which further helped to delineate the various settings. Stage manager Ruth Kirby ensured that there were slick changes between the five pieces and it was great to see the whole company pitching in to help each other out with such well regimented transitions.
 Given that the Tower Theatre has only recently staged Improbable Fiction, Alan Ayckbourn’s play about the inadequacies and inabilities of a writing group, it is good to see a corrective about nascent authorship via the five pieces which made up this production. Writer’s Room was a great showcase of talent in terms of the scripts, performances and staging and, just like that selection box, full of tasty treats for the dark winter evenings.
Photography by Matthew Partridge
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