Director Phil Cheadle on adapting Arthur Conan Doyle’s Selecting a Ghost

We spoke with director Phil Cheadle about the creation of Two Lines Productions’ upcoming show Selecting a Ghost. This site-specific immersive adaptation of Arthur Conan Doyle’s short story is a part of the upcoming Stanley Arts' Days of the Dead Festival.

Silas and Matilda D’odds take the audience with them on this adventure to select a ghost, what inspired you to include the audience in such an immersive way?

Well, the story is written in first-person narration, with Silas talking directly to the reader, so it made sense for Silas to talk directly to the audience in the performance as well. Also, when creating the piece for the Stanley Arts’ "Days of the Dead" festival, one of the requirements was that it be site-specific. Selecting a Ghost fits this perfectly, as it allows the audience to journey through the Stanley Arts building, following along with Silas and Matilda’s adventure. It felt right that the audience would experience that journey with them.

How did you approach translating Arthur Conan Doyle‘s original short story into a stage performance and did you make any significant changes?

Selecting a Ghost is a witty and thought-provoking story by Arthur Conan Doyle, and I wanted to stay true to the original text. I didn’t change what Doyle wrote, but since it’s a first-person narrative, I had to find a way to give Matilda, Silas’s wife, a stronger voice. In the story, Silas mentions Matilda often, but she never speaks directly. I wanted her to have more presence, so I adapted parts of the narration into dialogue between the two characters. 

There are other characters in the story, like Matilda’s cousin Jack, who Silas visits in London, and Mr. Abrahams, who comes to the house for the ghost selection ceremony. Initially, I considered having four actors, but during the R&D phase, it made sense for the actor playing Matilda, Jade Williams, to transform seamlessly into these other characters. Since this is a retelling of events—a sort of memory play—it felt natural for Matilda to embody other roles while maintaining the integrity of the story. In fact, it enhanced the storytelling in a really interesting way.

This piece is a part of the Stanley Arts’ Days of the Dead Festival and clearly has some spooky elements, have you experienced any challenges when trying to blend the play’s witty humour and haunting themes?

I actually think horror and humour are intricately connected. It’s a natural reaction to laugh when you’re scared. Horror films and theatre shows with jump scares often make audiences burst out laughing afterward—it’s totally normal. So, blending the humour and haunting themes hasn’t been difficult; it’s actually been a lot of fun. We get to play with how we can make the audience jump or create a dark, unsettling atmosphere while also keeping it humorous.

Stanley Arts is such an incredible venue for a piece like this, how has it influenced the staging and development process?

Stanley Arts is an amazing, quirky venue, and it immediately became the perfect stand-in for Gorsethorpe Grange, the medieval mansion that Silas and Matilda buy in the story. From the moment Silas welcomes the audience to Gorsethorpe Grange, you feel the atmosphere of the building seeping into the performance. The venue’s unique character really gives the audience an opportunity to explore Stanley Arts, even seeing parts of the building that they might not normally have access to. It’s been a brilliant backdrop for this production.

What has it been like working with Kendra Horsburgh, and combining theatre and hip hop with BirdGang?

Working with Kendra and BirdGang has been an absolute delight. I’m in awe of their talent and creativity. Kendra brings such a sense of playfulness to the process, and her ideas have been fantastic. I feel like we’ve really sparked as a collaborative team, and I’m excited to see the final outcome of this project and what we can achieve together.

In approaching the adaptation, the biggest question was how to present the six ghosts that appear. Then I came across BirdGang, who are resident artists at Stanley Arts. After looking at their work, I noticed they have a strong interest in otherworldliness—especially magic—so it made perfect sense to ask them if they’d collaborate and play the ghosts. It didn’t take long for Kendra to say yes; this project was right up their alley. With original music by Harry Miller, the ghost selection ceremony is shaping up to be an incredible, ghostly hip hop extravaganza.

Two Lines Productions’ work often explores social and political themes, how have you brought your distinct style into Selecting a Ghost?

Selecting a Ghost is actually Two Lines Productions’ first in-person production. Our first project was created during the pandemic—a live Zoom performance of Clifford Odets’ Waiting for Lefty. That piece was highly political and socially resonant, and we held a panel discussion afterward with MPs, trade union leaders, and political thinkers. It made a big impact at the time.

With Selecting a Ghost, the approach is a bit different. I was drawn to this project because of the role Stanley Arts plays in the Norwood and Croydon communities. It’s a venue that’s becoming integral to the local area, and I wanted to help strengthen that connection by creating a show that celebrates both the building and the people around it. Hopefully, it will also help put Stanley Arts more firmly on the map in the theatre scene.

Selecting a Ghost is presented by Two Lines Productions and will be showing at Stanley Arts, 6 Nov – 9 Nov, 19:00 - 20:00 & 20:00 - 21:00. For tickets go to https://stanleyarts.org/event/selecting-a-ghost/2024-11-07/2/