I am very pleased to share that my latest play, The Last Grasp, will be performed as part of the OSO Writers’ Studio. This project has been an incredible journey—not only as a playwright but also as a budding director, diving deep into the layers of stage production. From designing props and considering the nuances of illumination to composing soundscapes using GarageBand, this has been a fully immersive creative process that has reshaped the way I approach storytelling in theatre.
Expanding My Theatrical Journey
My journey into playwriting has been an unexpected but exciting evolution. In Waves, Particles and Plays (link), I reflected on how my scientific background influences my creative writing. That post marked the beginning of my exploration into theatre, where I sought to blend structured thinking with artistic expression. Later, I wrote Victoria’s Embrace (link), a play that delved into the psychology of performance and identity.
However, in the case of Victoria’s Embrace my role was solely as a writer. I crafted the script and then handed it over to directors and production teams, eager but slightly removed from how it would ultimately be brought to life on stage. I did have a good session with the actors and director to clarify some points and add some context to the play, but from then on, it was their turn to bring the piece to life. With The Last Grasp, that changed. This time, I stepped into the role of director, overseeing not just the words but the full theatrical experience. Taking the script from an intellectual exercise into a fully realised stage production was a challenge that pushed me beyond my comfort zone—and I loved every moment of it.
The Last Grasp – A Battle of Wits and Willpower
This time the theme for the OSO Writers’ Studio was the seven deadly sins. The Last grasp is set in a sterile corporate waiting room, The Last Grasp explores existential questions through the clash of two men—one ambitious, the other indifferent (or so it seems). Chase Hunter is determined to win, strategising his way through a high-stakes business opportunity. Meanwhile, Zenon Forrest, laid-back and enigmatic, seems content to let things unfold. But as their dialogue sharpens, the very nature of ambition, power, and purpose is called into question. Is greed just fear in disguise? Is sloth a refusal to engage, or a hidden strength? And ultimately—what are we really chasing?
This play challenges us to confront the prisons of our own making, wrapped in sharp dialogue, tension, and moments of absurdity. Directing this piece allowed me to shape its atmospheric intensity—using sound and light to draw audiences deeper into the psychological landscape of these two opposing forces. The process of crafting soundscapes using GarageBand was particularly fascinating, as I experimented with layered audio to create a sense of unease and anticipation, particularly with the desembodied voice that envelops the two characters on stage.
One of the most interesting aspects of directing my own work was reinterpreting it from a visual and auditory perspective. Writing a play is an intellectual process, but directing it becomes something physical. How should a character move in a particular moment? What does their body language reveal that their words do not? The smallest of gestures—how Chase grips his flipchart, how Zen tilts his chair back in seeming defiance of the corporate world—add layers of meaning that words alone cannot capture. These are details I hadn’t considered as deeply when I was just writing, but they became central to my vision for the stage production.
A Deeper Understanding of Theatre
Stepping into the role of director has changed my perspective on theatre dramatically. This has been helped by some of my reading (see here) on playwriting. Where previously I focused mainly on dialogue and character arcs, I now had to consider the physicality of performance, the subtleties of lighting design, and the impact of props and set dressing. A single flickering light, a well-placed pause, or the hum of an unseen speaker—all these elements contribute to the audience’s immersion and engagement. The interplay between text and staging has given me a newfound respect for the collaborative nature of theatre.
Unlike my previous experience, where I handed over the script and waited to see how it would be interpreted, this time I was actively involved in shaping every element of the production. It was both daunting and exhilarating. Every decision—down to the timing of an actor’s movement or the placement of a chair—became part of the storytelling. It must be said that the views of the actors in portraying the characters did help a lot in the process. The challenge of directing my own words made me scrutinise them in a way I hadn’t before. Did the dialogue truly serve the pacing? Were the silences as meaningful as the spoken lines?
The use of sound became a particularly fascinating aspect of the production. For instance, the subtle hum of a flickering fluorescent light in the waiting room became a character in its own right—an ever-present reminder of the passage (or stagnation) of time. I want the audience to feel the weight of that silence, the discomfort of being in a place where nothing is happening but where everything still feels charged with meaning. The creation of atmospheric audio through GarageBand allowed me to experiment with layers of sound to reinforce that unease—something I hadn’t had the opportunity to explore before.
Another challenge was designing a minimalist set that still carried symbolic weight. The waiting room is intentionally lifeless—grey walls, plastic chairs, and a vase of flowers that decays in every scene—suggesting a space where time has lost its meaning. A single locked door labelled “Opportunity Room” serves as a metaphor for ambition and the unknown. Even the placement of the vase with slowly withering flowers adds an element of entropy, a contrast to Chase’s desperate attempts at control. Every piece of set design had to work in service of the themes of the play, reinforcing the existential tension at its core.
Ultimately, this experience has not only strengthened my skills as a writer but has also deepened my appreciation for the craft of theatre as a whole. Directing has given me a richer, more complex understanding of the relationship between text, performance, and stagecraft. It has been a demanding but immensely rewarding journey, and I’m excited to see how audiences engage with The Last Grasp when it comes to life on stage.
I can’t wait to share this piece with you. See here for details on the showcase and other info!