Podcast Summary: All Of It with Alison Stewart

Episode: Emma D'Arcy and Tobias Menzies in 'The Other Place'

Date: February 2, 2026
Host: Alison Stewart (A)
Guests: Emma D’Arcy (B), Tobias Menzies (C)
Runtime (content portion): 00:07 to 23:21

Overview

This episode dives into “The Other Place,” a new play at The Shed in New York City, a modern adaptation of Sophocles’ “Antigone” written and directed by Alexander Zeldin. Alison Stewart interviews lead actors Emma D’Arcy and Tobias Menzies, discussing their roles, the adaptation’s process and themes, the experience of performing Greek tragedy for contemporary audiences, and the relevance of theatre today.

Episode Breakdown

The Play’s Premise and Inspiration

• The show reimagines Antigone as “Annie,” who returns to her childhood home on the anniversary of her father’s death, while the home—now her uncle Chris’s—becomes the battleground over her father’s ashes.
• The narrative focuses on intergenerational conflict and the tension between preserving and burying the past.

Notable Quote

“Antigone is now Annie…who has returned to their childhood home on the anniversary of their father's death...Annie’s Uncle Chris...wants to scatter his brother's ashes...Annie is very much against it.”
Alison Stewart, 00:55

Development and Adaptation Process

• The play originated through a lengthy development process marked by improvisation and exploration with the cast.
• Tobias Menzies: “It’s a really privileged way to work...Alex is able to respond in a way to what his group of actors are bringing to the text.” (03:59)
• Both actors reread the original Antigone to find a modern frame for its themes, focusing particularly on fate and trauma.

Notable Insights

• Emma D’Arcy: Relates fate in Greek tragedy to the inheritance of trauma and unresolved family history.

  “...the idea of being fated can be about a sort of traumatic history and the way that past plays out in the present and the future as a kind of fatalism.” (02:59)

Character Dynamics and Motivations

• Annie (Emma D’Arcy):

  • Described as unapologetically direct, unafraid to “kill the joke” with bluntness.
  • Motivated by a need to preserve the past and confront familial trauma.

  “I think they meet someone who...doesn't feel the need to submit to sort of nicety...maybe someone who perceives nicety as a form of disguise or...insincere.” (06:30)

• Chris (Tobias Menzies):

  • Embodies patriarchal authority (Creon’s modern equivalent), wishing to move on from uncomfortable history.

  “He’s the authority...exploring patriarchy and possibly the shame and suppression that is baked into that. Those structures.” (07:16)

• The play dramatizes a conflict of desires: one character wants to preserve and exhibit the past; the other to sever and bury it.

  “You have one character, Annie, who is driven to exhibit, to preserve the past. And you have another character, Chris, who is desperate to sever, to bury his history. And those wants go forward.” (10:09, D’Arcy)

The Space and Its Symbolism

• Set entirely in the home that was once Annie’s childhood house, now remodeled by Chris and his family.
• Design choices (unfinished walls, a prominent window) echo the play’s themes:

  “Walls hide things, windows open things...the amnesia of the makeover, of gentrification...ways that seem benign but actually can have violence in them.” (12:17, Menzies)

Tone, Tension, and Audience Reaction

• The play’s tone rapidly pivots between moments of dark comedy, shock, and violence—keeping the audience on edge.

  “It’s definitely thrilling to perform...it was like a really vivid show to perform...you got, like, visceral feedback.” (13:49, D’Arcy)

• Handling ashes onstage provokes strong, often shocked audience reactions.

  "You don’t like it when you mess with ashes. Do not touch the ashes. Especially the way you touch the ashes." (14:20, Stewart & Menzies)

• The show exploits what's unsaid and subtextual, trusting the audience to fill in narrative gaps and stay ahead of them.

  “It’s a pretty spare text. So again, a lot is being unsaid...you’re demanding of an audience...to fill in the gaps.” (16:26, Menzies)

Differences in Audiences: London vs. New York

• The actors note an early sense of “quiet attentiveness” in New York compared to more raucous, vocal London crowds.

  “They have been quieter...There was a sort of attentiveness...it ended up being a lot more raucous in the Littleton [London].” (17:25-17:55, Menzies & D’Arcy)

Greek Tragedy’s Contemporary Resurgence

• Both actors note an uptick in Greek tragedy-inspired works, speculating it’s due to contemporary societal upheavals.

  “I think it’s because we’re reaching for bigger tools...in pretty challenging times...culture reaches for, hopefully, stories that can speak to it more directly. And I think Greeks are, you know, help us with that.” (19:42, Menzies)

• D’Arcy also describes the unintelligibility of Greek texts resonating with today’s sense of political and social confusion.

  “When I read Greek texts...I have to really interrogate what the resonance is...I also don't find the current moment wholly legible...There’s also something there about giving us the tools...to at least sit with and try to understand what we’re currently living through.” (20:16)

Reflections on Theatre’s Value

• Emma D’Arcy:

  • Cherishes theatre’s ability to create real, shared moments and present problems rather than answers.

  “I like that real things can take place in rooms...art doesn't need to provide the answer, it just has to present the problem fully in a way that doesn't hide or disguise anything.” (21:01)

• Tobias Menzies:

  • Celebrates theatre’s analog, uncontrollable authenticity amid a digital world.

  “I love the sort of analog quality of theatre...it's just fundamentally harder to manipulate...there's greater transparency and honesty.” (22:00)

Highlighted Quotes & Memorable Moments

• “It’s a crazy privilege to be able to work kind of slowly and methodically over like, you know, weeks and months periodically...a real specificity.” (08:55, D’Arcy)
• “Tiling over stuff, plastering over stuff, does the same job in a way...should we look at this stuff or should we try and forget it?” (12:17, Menzies)
• “The hope...is that an audience are kind of prevented from a passive seat...they’re quite implicated in quite a profound way.” (15:53, D’Arcy)
• “You can't harvest the data. So in that way, it just feels baggier, less controllable. And I like that.” (22:54, Menzies)

Key Timestamps

• 00:55: Play premise and Antigone adaptation outlined
• 02:17: Early development — use of improvisation and classic text
• 06:30: D’Arcy on the bluntness and unflinching nature of Annie
• 07:16: Menzies defines Chris’s role and the theme of modern patriarchy
• 10:09: D’Arcy outlines the tragic conflict—preserving vs. burying the past
• 13:49: Actors on the thrill of rapid tone shifts
• 16:26: Menzies on suspense and staying ahead of the audience
• 17:25: Comparing London and New York audience responses
• 19:42: Why Greek tragedy is reemerging in modern theatre
• 21:01: D’Arcy on theatre’s communal experience
• 22:00: Menzies on theatre as an analog, honest art form

Tone and Atmosphere

The discussion is thoughtful, occasionally wry, with a deep engagement in the craft of acting, adaptation, and the unique resonance of theatre for modern audiences. Both actors reflect openly on process and meaning, inviting listeners into both the emotional and intellectual machinery of the play.

Useful For...

• Anyone interested in contemporary theatre and adaptation processes
• Listeners seeking insight into classical themes interpreted in modern contexts
• Theatre practitioners and enthusiasts curious about actor-director collaboration
• Fans of Emma D'Arcy or Tobias Menzies looking for an in-depth conversation about their current roles