Interview with Theatr Clwyd’s Artistic Director, Kate Wasserberg
Conducted by Emmie for Theatre and Tonic
This June, Theatre Clwyd will open for the first time since its major redevelopment. To kick off in style, the theatre will present a brand new revival of the hit musical Tick, Tick… Boom!. Ahead of that production and the plethora of exciting productions which will celebrate the theatre’s reopening this year, we spoke with Artistic Director Kate Wasserberg to find out more.
For any of our readers who don’t know what your role is, what is an Artistic Director?
There is no one way to be an Artistic Director, but here at Theatr Clwyd I decide the programme of work, look after artists in the building, set the creative direction, develop new work, and together with Executive Director Liam Evans Ford, hold the organisation's values. We also share Chief Executive responsibilities. It’s a wonderful role, and the partnership with Liam is key to its success.
You have probably obtained inspiration from a lot of people in your career. who would you say your main influences were when you were starting out?
Michael Grandage was a big influence on me – I got cheap tickets to the Donmar as a young director, and his sensitive but explosive handling of text became an artistic touchstone. Katie Mitchell taught me about preparation and process, and Neil McPherson and Terry Hands believed in me and gave me the chance to grow as an artist by trusting me with productions and investing their time and expertise in my development. I’ll always be grateful for that.
You are delivering Tick, Tick..Boom! as part of your first production as Artistic Director of Theatr Clwyd. Where do you even begin with developing the programme of work you decide on, and what was important for your audiences as part of the reopening?
I was spoilt for choice. Wales is bursting with theatrical talent. Tick, Tick was a no-brainer. Our young people are making a professionally resourced show to open our second space. Fran Goodridge, one of our most exciting directors, is taking the helm of an all-female dark comedy in co-production with the wonderful Octagon in Bolton, and we are transforming the Weston into a 1930s pub for a new Welsh play that will knock people’s socks off. I could programme Clwyd ten times over just with the new work Wales is producing – we have so many amazing plays in the pipeline and wonderful artists we can’t wait to welcome into the new building.
You will be presenting a new production of Tick, Tick.. Boom! Can you tell our readers a little bit more about what this show is about?
Jonathan Larson, the composer who created RENT and tragically died before opening night, wrote Tick, Tick.. Boom! when he was still struggling. It’s about the week he turns 30, his girlfriend wants to leave New York and settle down, his friend thinks he should take a job in marketing, and his parents are worried he is working in a diner at 29. Should he stick it out?
It’s a show about that moment in a person’s life where they must choose – keep going even though success is uncertain, or give up? How do we keep trying to be better, to change the world, in the face of seemingly unstoppable forces? Is it naïve, foolish to even try? It’s a funny, beautiful show, and the songs are incredible.
This production has definitely grown in popularity since the Netflix film. What is it about Tick, Tick..Boom! which you think is incredibly special and therefore is the perfect production to bring to North Wales?
I wanted to open with a show that headlined Welsh talent (two of our incredible cast of three are Welsh performers) and that was a love letter to the joy and power of theatre. This production will show off some of what our refitted main house is capable of and celebrate the incredible actor-audience connection that has always made that space special. It’s a statement of intent – a production about courage, joy and conviction, a welcome home gift to our wonderful audiences.
You have a fantastic small cast consisting of Christina Modestou, Ryan Owen and Tarik Frimmpong. How essential have their contributions been to the creative process of this production so far? What is always intentional about having a small cast for this show, too?
In any production, the company define the show utterly. This cast brings not only outrageous talent in acting, dance and singing, but also the intelligence, humour and kindness required to make theatre with depth and heart. Between them, they have starred in several of the world’s biggest musicals, and I am so grateful for their wisdom and brilliant instincts. They have amazing chemistry, and we laugh a lot. Tick, Tick is written for a cast of three, so finding the right three people is essential. I am very lucky in that regard.
Have there been any challenges in developing this show and how have you overcome them?
I am a firm believer that all challenges are best met by assembling the right team. I am relatively new to musical theatre, so I have armed myself with a musical director and a choreographer who know this world inside and out. On the first day, I wasn’t sure how to go about things, and then Bob (Our MD) asked me to talk through the lyrics of a song as if it were a scene. I suddenly understood where my skills fit in, and it’s been a ball ever since. The three of us work in concert, building the world together.
The production comes with a fantastic score too - do you have any personal connections to any of the songs you can tell us about which make it special?
The songs! Like many people, I have the soundtrack on my phone and yell along in the car to the big numbers. There is a song near the end of the show called Why. It is about the choice to spend your life doing something you love, and to remember as you get older that just to be allowed to do that thing is a privilege and not to sweat the small stuff. That’s very personal to me, I am grateful every day that this is my job.
Besides Tick, Tick.. Boom! - What other productions are coming up at Theatr Clwyd which you would like to drop a plug for whilst you are here?
On Wednesdays We Wear Pink is a joyous show about fashion made by our young people and from what I have seen will be an absolute riot. Snake in the Grass is a murder mystery by the incomparable Alan Aykbourn, directed by the brilliant Fran Goodridge – come along if you like a good scare and some dark comedy. The Red Rogue of Bala is one of the best new plays I have read in years - about a real local anti-hero, set in a pub on the eve of WW1. I am so excited to share it with audiences, don’t miss this one.
Finally, sum up Tick, Tick.. Boom! In three words.
West End Fun (in Wales 😉)
Tick, tick..Boom! will play at Theatr Clwyd from 2 - 28 June 2025
