Interview: Shannon Damery on Code Tea Party

Shannon Damery is the writer and first-time director of Code Tea Party, the debut production from the new women-led Broken Chair Productions. The dark comedy follows two siblings tested by illness and devotion, and plays at the Lambeth Fringe from 22 October. Red Bus Londinium caught up with her to hear about deciding to go big at the last minute, turning encounters with the healthcare system into surreal comedy, and what an international cast brought to a play that, at first, felt very American.

Red Bus: This is Broken Chair Productions’ first show and Shannon’s directorial debut. What’s it been like building a production from the ground up as a brand new company, and did anything about that process surprise you?

Shannon Damery: Originally we thought we’d keep it simple. I’d written a monologue we could bring to the Lambeth Fringe and it didn’t really need props or much of a set. For my first time directing, this seemed like the way to go. Then, at the last minute, we changed our minds and decided to go big, and take an ensemble piece. We (Broken Chair) had one of those “no guts, no glory” moments. We all agreed that Code Tea Party was more interesting and more fun than the other piece I’d written. Of course, it’s a lot more work for the Broken Chair team, but the collaboration with the group of actors, and how many ideas have come out of the process to re-shape the play, has been a great surprise.

Red Bus: The play deals with caretaking, illness and bureaucracy through dark comedy and surrealism rather than straight drama. How did you find the right tone for material this personal, and was there a moment in rehearsals where you felt you’d properly landed it?

Shannon Damery: Honestly, the tone that ended up coming out on stage is not that different from the reality. The genuine, “what the f**ck” reactions when you or someone you care about is denied care is well captured by the actors. They’re reacting to something farcical or unbelievable on stage, but plenty of unbelievable things happen when you’re seeking care and support.

Shannon Damery: Shannon has spoken about the “agonising ridiculousness” of watching loved ones denied care because they weren’t “sick enough yet.” How much of that lived experience found its way directly into the writing, and how much got transformed into something else once it hit the stage?

Shannon Damery: The real-life material just lent itself so well to storytelling and absurd illustration on stage, that a lot of it ended up on stage without being much altered. I remember being in hospital in the US with only travel health insurance, and it didn’t cover much. It’s a long story, that I won’t go into here, but I was on a feeding tube and was told that the liquid medicine, which is less likely to clog the feeding tube, resulting in painful replacement, was really expensive. To offset costs, the nurses were going to crush up pills and mix them with water. My feeding tube would be more likely to clog, but even replacing it (despite the discomfort this would cause) would be cheaper than buying the liquid medication. This idea definitely found its way into the play. As well as the delight from a social worker that a loved one was definitely going to get sicker and would then be eligible for more specialized care. I think the struggle of the healthcare workers is also well represented by the actors. They really found the heart and the heartache of being people tasked with care and facing enormous obstacles to providing the best care possible.

Red Bus: The company describes itself as women-led and made up of internationals from different backgrounds, aiming to be a space for fusion and cultural mixing. How has that mix of backgrounds shaped this particular production, rather than being just a description of who’s in the room?

Shannon Damery: It’s funny to have written something that seems a bit US-centric and yet has no US actors in it. This was not at all intentional, but it’s brought a lot of different dimensions to the play. Everyone has different experiences of healthcare systems in different places, and it was interesting to see what experiences were universal and what ones were unique. It also helped the play to evolve to be less US-centric and more widely relatable. Also, my experience of hospitals in the US is that they’re a mix of people from all over the world, and it’s nice to see that represented in the play.

Red Bus: Now that the show is heading into performances at Lambeth Fringe, what do you most hope audiences take away with them, and is there anything about the play you think they might not expect going in?

Shannon Damery: I hope audiences leave feeling thoughtful and perhaps questioning their judgment of others who might be facing hidden hardships when faced with impossible tasks and decisions. I think they might not expect how quickly things can go from sadness to horror to hilarity. I hope the play will be both a way for people to feel like they’ve seen their experiences represented on stage, and for others to see the play as a call to action. And it’s also ok to just be entertained.

Production details:

22 October 2026, 7pm: Golden Goose Theatre, 146 Camberwell New Road, Camberwell, London SE5 0RR (Lambeth Fringe)
23 October, 7pm, and 25 October, 4pm: Courtyard Theatre, Bowling Green Walk, 40 Pitfield Street, London N1 6EU

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