Double Telling brings the London premiere of Run Sister Run by award-winning playwright Chloë Moss to the Arcola Theatre this summer. The play, running from 2 to 26 July 2025, spans four decades and delves iDouble Telling brings the London premiere of Run Sister Run by award-winning playwright Chloë Moss to the Arcola Theatre this summer. The play, running from 2 to 26 July 2025, spans four decades and delves into the fraught but unbreakable bond between two sisters. It’s an emotionally charged piece that explores survival, identity, and the limits of familial love.
We caught up with actor Theo Fraser Steele, who plays Adrian, a character as sharply drawn as he is complex. With a career that has spanned stage, television, and film, Theo shares insights into the process of bringing this role to life, the nuances of new writing, and what audiences can expect from this powerful new production.
What first attracted you to the role of Adrian?
“Chloë Moss’s writing is just amazing – and Adrian is funny and scathing and uptight and complex. He’s a really fun character to play.”
— Theo Fraser Steele
From the start, Adrian’s wit and contradictions appealed to Theo. The writing, he says, gave him a lot to work with.
Building a character through time
Run Sister Run spans four decades, meaning each character evolves significantly over the course of the story.
“I know people who are like Adrian and parts of him are scarily like me. It’s all there in the writing – you just fill in the gaps, and if it doesn’t work, you try something else.”
Theo embraced both the challenge and the familiarity, grounding Adrian’s changes in something very personal.
On performing Chloë Moss’s writing
“You still have to be just as accurate in your hearing! Naturalistic language is great fun to play – the speed of it, the interrupted thoughts. I also have some excellent swearing!”
Moss’s dialogue, known for its realism and rhythm, gives actors plenty to work with — including humor in unexpected places.
Working across stage, TV and film
Theo is no stranger to adapting his performance style to different formats.
“One TV production can be as different from another as stage from TV. So a lot of it is gauging the mood and style of the production you’re in. You do your work, and then have to be ready to adjust it.”
For him, every project requires flexibility — and the ability to read the creative environment.
Rehearsing for the Arcola
“It’s been an amazing rehearsal process – emotional, exhilarating, and exhausting. People can expect to be moved, but it’s also very funny. Please come and see it.”
Theo credits the rehearsal period under director Marlie Haco as both challenging and fulfilling, promising a production that is moving, surprising, and filled with energy.
About Run Sister Run
“How do we protect those we love without losing ourselves?”
Written by Chloë Moss and directed by Marlie Haco, Run Sister Run is a gripping story of family, survival, and the complexity of sisterhood. It follows sisters Connie and Ursula from childhood through adulthood, exploring how love and trauma shape their lives across four decades.
This new production blends Moss’s naturalistic dialogue with movement and original music, drawing past and present together in powerful and poetic ways.
What Theo feels audiences can expect
- A moving and darkly funny story about sisterhood
- Realistic, emotionally resonant writing
- A clever, time-shifting structure
- Original music and movement
- A standout performance from a seasoned cast
Show Details
Venue: Arcola Theatre, London
Dates: 2 – 26 July 2025
Post-show Discussion: Monday 14 July
Presented by: Double Telling
Supported by: Arts Council England
Tickets: Visit Arcola Theatre Website
“People can expect to be moved — but it’s also very funny.”
— Theo Fraser Steele
