Day Job Theatre Q&A
Day Job Theatre Q&A
In this Q&A I spoke to Lia and Andrew, the creative duo behind Day Job Theatre, an up and coming theatre company with a mission to help creatives escape the grind of their ‘day jobs’ and carve out sustainable careers in the arts. I also spoke to Lauren, Andrew’s co-star in their latest show ‘BRAINS’, which will be running at The Bull in Wanstead from 19th - 20th September as part of the Wanstead fringe. Born out of a shared vision during their time at Queen Mary University of London, the pair officially launched the company just over a year ago and have since made their mark on the London Fringe scene, from Peckham to Wanstead.
As they bring their latest show BRAINS, a darkly funny ‘Zom-Com’ exploring mental health, survival, and human connection, to The Bull as part of the Wanstead Fringe, they reflect on their journey, the power of local fringes, community-driven theatre, and the big ambitions they have for Day Job’s future.
1. Who is Day Job Theatre? How did you start out?
Lia: Andrew and I met about six years ago while studying at QMU. He’s an actor and playwright, and I went on to study producing and theatre administration. About a year and a half ago, we officially launched Day Job Theatre. Our mission is simple: we want to create opportunities for creatives to work towards quitting their ‘day jobs’. That’s the whole thesis of the company. We recently ran our first annual scratch night, a collaboration with Waxing Gibbous, at the Golden Goose Theatre in Camberwell. (A scratch night is an informal showcase where new or developing pieces are performed in a script-in-hand format.) We featured 8–9 different acts, giving them the chance to share their work, get feedback, and connect with others in the industry. Starting out with your own writing and productions is tough, so creating those spaces is key. This is actually our third year at the Wanstead Fringe Festival, and our second as Day Job Theatre. In 2023, Andrew won the Baloney Award, set up by Marissa Landy of Baloney Theatre Company in Wanstead. It’s a brilliant initiative that supports a current Mountview MA student to perform their work at the Fringe, covering venue fees, promotional materials and offering coaching. Andrew’s play ‘Robot Penguin’ was produced by Baloney Theatre and staged at the Fringe - it was a fantastic experience. That kind of opportunity is exactly what we hope Day Job Theatre can offer people in the future. So much of what we do is inspired by the support we've received from friends, our community, and the wider industry. We came back to the Wanstead Fringe as Day Job Theatre in 2024 with ‘The Stranglemans’. Also, Baloney Theatre is doing BUZZFEST at this year’s Wanstead Fringe. Marissa is a big part of the committee and a real driving force behind bringing people to Wanstead and creating opportunities through her company. We’re super excited to see BUZZFEST and the continued work Baloney is doing.
2. Have you always performed at The Bull during the Fringe?
Lia: You could say The Bull is our home base. When Andrew was writing BRAINS, he actually had The Bull in mind - it’s set in a pub theatre. The premise is two survivors taking shelter during a zombie apocalypse... in a pub theatre. The Bull has always been really welcoming, and Andrew could visualise the whole show happening there. We were lucky enough to premiere the show at Theatre Peckham as part of Peckham Fringe, where we also rehearsed, but it’s really special to now perform it in the space it was written for.
3. Who are your biggest inspirations as an emerging theatre company?
Lia: We’re really inspired by Baloney Theatre. When I first started studying in the UK, I didn’t know much about the theatre industry here, especially Fringe theatre. My first experience producing was at the Finborough Theatre, which does more Off-West End programming with full four-week runs, so seeing companies putting on their own shows at festivals was a totally new concept for me. Coming from the US, where the industry is quite different, I was really inspired by how accessible and DIY the Fringe world can be. Festivals like Peckham and Lambeth Fringe (which we also did last year with The Stranglemans) really motivated us. It’s amazing to see new and experimental work getting a platform.
Andrew: Two companies that come to mind for me are Sh!t Theatre - they’re QMU alumni who were already creating wild, political, absurd work when I was just starting out. More recently, Xhloe & Natasha. Their style really aligns with mine: slightly strange or surreal on the surface, but digging into something deeper underneath.
Lia: We actually got to meet Xhloe & Natasha - their producer did lighting on a show I worked on at the Finborough. They’re based in New York but are like celebrities at the Edinburgh Fringe. Their work is very cool and definitely one to watch.
4. What draws you to Fringe festivals, and what makes them unique for theatre companies?
Lia: Since becoming Day Job Theatre, we’ve done three Fringe festivals: Peckham, Lambeth, and Wanstead. Wanstead was actually our introduction to Fringe theatre. What I love most is getting to bring our shows to new communities. We're based in South-East London, so performing in Wanstead gives us access to audiences we wouldn’t normally reach. I think the community support is incredible. The Baloney Award made the Fringe accessible to us, and that ethos continues. You’ve got the volunteers, venue staff, programming teams, local press - it all adds up and creates such a supportive atmosphere. It’s also just fun! At Edinburgh Fringe, flyering is this real hustle - everyone is doing it for their own show. So it’s like: why is yours special? At Wanstead or Peckham, you’re actually talking to people, meeting locals and then seeing them in the audience later. That sense of connection is really special and rare.
Andrew: I love that element of surprise. A lot of people I speak to don’t even know some of these Fringes exist. That means when someone stumbles into a show at The Bull, maybe an older couple who just dropped in for a drink, they get this unexpected experience. We get to reach audiences who wouldn’t normally seek out theatre. That feels really valuable.
Lia: From an industry perspective, I also work for a theatre charity. I know how hard and expensive it is to provide opportunities like this. So when rehearsal space, PR support, or tech help is offered, we’re deeply grateful. It's all done out of love for the arts and community-based theatre.
5. How does Day Job Theatre operate? Who does what?
Andrew: It’s definitely a left-brain/right-brain split. I handle the creative side - writing, sound design, anything in that realm. None of which would be possible without Lia.
Lia: I cover the producing side - press, admin, finances, documentation. The great thing is, it's not just the two of us. We love bringing in new people. Recent grads like Jasmine our director, or Lauren our actor in BRAINS. They’re all looking to build their credits, and we’re thrilled to offer that opportunity. We also produced Beckett Gray’s play ‘Portrait of a Queer in Panic’, so it’s not always Andrew writing. Our scratch night featured several other writers. Andrew always ends up doing the creative stuff and the social media - forcing me into TikTok’s! Meanwhile I’m doing agreements, invoices, emails etc.
6. How big is your team?
Andrew: Officially? Just the two of us. But we’ve built a great community of collaborators.
Lia: Beckett Gray has been a huge part of our company, doing tech for all our shows, including BRAINS. We’d honestly be lost without them. Every show brings in a different cast or creative team. Andrew much prefers acting with others, so we always have guest performers. Our hope is to grow and be able to offer more paid opportunities to more creatives, especially those just starting out.
7. Tell us about BRAINS. How was it conceived?
Andrew: I’m a massive zombiephile. I love all things zombie-related. The idea of a zombie apocalypse has always fascinated me.
Lia: I had to do research by watching zom-coms like Shaun of the Dead! It’s definitely Andrew’s passion, and I’ve learned a lot - even if I miss half the references. That being said, the show stands on its own. You don’t need to love horror to enjoy it. What’s unique is that it touches on themes we haven’t explored much before like mental health, identity, and how we navigate a difficult world.
Andrew: Yeah, we don’t exactly have a horror budget, so it’s not scary! I’ve always found that a zombie apocalypse is the perfect metaphor for depression. When you feel like the world is hostile and grim, like everyone’s out to get you, you can relate it to living in a dystopia. That really comes through in the character of Keira. She’s existing in this zombie world like it’s normal. Then she meets Henry, another survivor trying to stay alive at all costs. It becomes a discussion: what are you really living for, if the world is like this? It’s about finding hope in the darkest places, while also making tons of zombie jokes.
Lauren: Brains is what we’ve affectionately been calling a ‘Zom-Com’ which deals with what we think the day to day realities of surviving the apocalypse might be! It’s been a really cool production to be a part of because it’s using the idea of a zombie apocalypse to talk about mental health and depression which is a very different take on mental health and how it affects people.
8. What key themes does the show explore?
Andrew: While it’s not a ‘Covid play’ the lockdown era definitely influenced it. That period forced a lot of introspection and conversations around mental health, support networks, and survival. It’s in the DNA of the piece. It’s one for the Zombie fans, but also for anyone who’s ever been curious about what the world might be like during a Zombie apocalypse. This is a prevalent question - particularly right now. What we’re filling our lives with and gathering on to get one with the next stage. Its really a play about celebrating that human spirit and how sometimes we just need to give each other a hand to get through the day.
Lia: Zombie stories have always been about pandemics and survival. We live in a very individualistic world - people looking out for themselves. But community and care are what help us survive. That’s a key message in BRAINS.
Lauren: The show talks about mental health but the key theme I would say is connection and how important that is for our survival. In the show Henry and Kiera are two people who come from totally different lives and would never connect had it not been for the apocalypse but they’re able to find common ground and have fun which is then essential for their survival.
9. Can you sum up BRAINS in one sentence? Why should people come to see the show?
Lia: Our official copy is it’s ‘a biting zom-com’ - there are a million reasons to see it!
Lauren: I think it’s perfectly summed up by the tagline Andrew created of ‘Why survive when theres nothing to live for?’ There’s so many ways we can look at it; there’s the obviously slightly depressing way we can see it but we can also search for those reasons which is what Kiera and Henry do!
10. Where do you hope to take BRAINS after the Wanstead Fringe?
Andrew: Back into my Google Docs for a few more edits!
Lia: Andrew’s always humble (and self-deprecating) about the shows he writes! The real answer is it really has been a big summer for us, so we’re taking a short hiatus. That said, there’s definitely more to explore with BRAINS. We’d love to see it published or performed by other companies. The exciting thing is, there’s no limit to where it could go. We’re keeping the door open to future opportunities - refining it, reviving it, and giving it more life in the future. Nothing’s set in stone, but there’s always hope for what it could become.
11. Finally, what are your ambitions for Day Job Theatre?
Lia: Andrew’s already written a new play, so who knows what we’ll be doing next! He keeps writing, we keep having exciting new ideas, and hopefully we’ll have the time (and funding!) to bring them to life. What excites me most about the future is continuing to offer opportunities to diverse creatives, especially those who might not otherwise get the chance to develop their own work or be part of someone else’s. Our goal is to create as many pathways into this industry as possible, and to make sure people from all backgrounds feel welcome and included.
Andrew: I’d love to see Day Job Theatre grow into a strong creative community - a space for artists who are juggling survival jobs and creative passions. Somewhere they can connect, collaborate and have fun while doing work they care about. Our recent scratch night was a great example of that, bringing people together under a shared purpose. I hope we can keep moving in that direction and keep building something meaningful.