The London Test finished last night; now scoring can proceed
As I start this final post of my London Test Series, it’s 6PM BST or British Summer Time; this year marked the 110th anniversary of what was termed “Another social revolution for conservative England … the adoption of ‘British Summer Time“ This day, May 23 2026, brought a strong sun and very hot temperatures, but the cooler night breezes will carry the voices of our actors completing RETROSPECTIVE’s eight show run at Barons Court Theatre, an event characterized by me as a test. Well, as previously noted, everything can be thought of as a test although the sense of that categorization here was circumscribed as some experience that “by which the existence, quality, or genuineness of anything is or may be determined.” What was RETROSPECTIVE’s quality? Yes, there is that ninety minutes of artistry unfolded by Noah Huntley, Sarah Pearcy, Jasmine Dorothy Haefner, and Benjamin Parsons, superbly directed by Liviu Monsted, brilliantly lit and otherwise designed by Mehran Mortezaei, and hosted by the estimable and generous Leo Bencisa of Barons Court. But the test ending, and a look at the results is best started BEFORE the cast celebration that will occur after the last bows.
What was the construct — the concept or characteristic — this test was measuring?
A few basics
Regular readers of TAPH know that if you want to make a claim about a performance or attribute then the first step is to define what you’re measuring. With RETROSPECTIVE as with any theatrical venture, there wasn’t just one measure. ; let’s start with some obvious measures.
- Could we get audiences to come?
- We had about fifty percent attendance in the theater. That was below both our goal and our budget, but according to reports from other pub theatres about what they see this season.
- Would we break even?
- See the above to realize that the answer is as usual, No. 🙁 But our losses are among the lowest of our ten productions since 2018 and also represent a reversal of a trend of steadily higher per performance expenses since 2023, Our ticket sales were over $5000
- Did the marketing plan work?
- Not to the degree planned by a wide margin; Facebook and Instagram ads failed to trigger ticket sales despite all the lovely assistance of everyone on the team. Our friends and theirs know that every one of the RETROSPECTIVE cast and crew posted like maniacs throughout this time with great help and marvelous content from the digital wizard, Gifford Elliott and our videographer Louis Catliff. Director Liviu Monsted and our Clint Belinsky, multi-talented Benjamin Parsons were particularly creative. But the ads didn’t register. Cards and flyers were more effective as was the work done by our PR wizard Matthew Parker
- Did everybody on the team get paid?
- YES! This is a critical element of Knowledge Workings Theater’s mission so extra marks on that front.
Harder parts to measure
But those were not the most significant aspects of the test: this is theatre! Here are the main goals:
- What about the audience reaction?
- This reel is a good indication that audiences engaged. Only two people left early over eight performances, which is very good for a so-called ‘existential comedy’. (I’ve picked up the calculations here AFTER the last show.) One guy sat next to me and fidgeted all night and I could see another person bored out of their gourd while their partner, rapt with attention, tried to get them to behave. Bet that was an interesting ride home on the Tube. And then there was the woman in a front row side seat on her phone last night… But these were exceptions. Audience members provided enthusiastic and unsolicited feedback for the play and the performers.
- How about critical reaction
- Very positive especially for the acting and directing. Take a look here:
Check out this about our players…
this is part of the test — to get our team noticed to help their careers, which happened as shown above and here…
Yes, some critics thought the play could be shorter and one called it clunky, but that’s helpful in part because that gets to another critical dimension of the London Test…
Did we learn things to make this or subsequent plays better?
YES! In fact, we will make some cuts before RETROSPECTIVE goes to the printers
But the most important measure is how this all worked spiritually. In plainer terms, did we have fun in London?
ABSOLUTELY! We made theater live, met old friends, made new friends, and reaped the joys of being alive in our art. We put ourselves and our work to the test and thanks to Marjorie Phillips Elliott stayed sane and succeeded. This was not a pass-fail test, but rather a take-home exam, an opportunity to put all we have learned about theatre and life into these moments. If you throw yourself into that opportunity always alert to chances to develop and help others to do the same, there are no wrong answers.
